Syrian troops kill over 100 rebels in ambush near Damascus

More than 100 rebels were killed on Wednesday by Syrian troops in an ambush in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus, local media and pan-Arab al- Mayadeen TV said. The troops ambushed the rebels at al-Ataibeh suburb in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus, the report said, adding that the rebels were radicals from the al-Qaida-inspired Nusra Front. Meanwhile, official SANA news agency said the ambush was based on "intelligence information," which showed tens of rebels from the Nusra Front and the so-called Islam Brigade were killed. The report said most of those killed were Saudis, Qataris and Chechens, noting that the troops confiscated their weapons as well. The rebels, backed by foreign jihadists, have for long opted to launch planned attacks on the Eastern Ghouta countryside, in a bid to break the Syrian government's control over the surrounding of the capital. Opposition fighters are reportedly planning a large-scale offensive against the countryside of Damascus controlled by the government to break its siege and to halt its progress in central Syria. The Lebanese al-Manar TV and pro-government Syrian TV outlets said some Western and Arab countries are stepping up support for rebels in Syria, mainly in the southern province of Daraa which borders Jordan. There have been reports that thousands of Syrian rebels are getting special training in camps on the Syrian-Jordanian border to wage attacks on Damascus, only about 98 km from Daraa.