Damascus, Jan 15

The Syrian troops Tuesday killed 62 rebels in the countryside of the coastal city Latakia, northwest of the country, media reported.

Turkish, Qatari, Saudi and Libyan fighters were among 19 rebels killed in al-Koum village in Latakia countryside, Xinhua quoted the state-run SANA news agency as saying. The report added that army units also destroyed four cars equipped with heavy machine guns in the area.

In Latakia's al-Kart and al-Mraij villages, the Syrian troops killed 23 rebels and wounded 43 others in two operations, SANA said, noting that nine other rebels were killed in the village of Ghamam and 11 killed in the village of al-Samra.

The Syrian troops have been fighting rebels for almost three years, and the international community is preparing for the holding of the Geneva II peace conference designed to seek a political solution to the country's protracted crisis. 

By:IANS