Syrian opposition completes operation against regime

Syria's armed opposition has completed an operation against Assad regime-controlled regions around Turkmen Mountain in Latakia governorate, its commander said Wednesday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Jabal al-Islam Commander Zahir Abu Usama said 20 regime soldiers were killed and 19 were injured in the simultaneous raids in four spots in Sarraf town's Villa and Kapikaya villages.

"We had launched an operation [Monday] in regime-controlled Sarraf town and the region around Turkmen Mountain against the regime and Russia's intensive attacks in Idlib," he said.

Syria has been locked in a devastating civil war since March 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

While UN officials say hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, Syrian regime officials say the death toll is closer to 10,000.