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| Syrian Army Kills Scores of Rebels in Ambush | Syrian Army Kills Scores of Rebels in Ambush |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Syrian Army ambushed a large group of antigovernment insurgents near the capital, Damascus, on Wednesday, killing more than 60 of them in what seemed a significant assault on rebels seeking to penetrate the capital, according to monitors and state media. | BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Syrian Army ambushed a large group of antigovernment insurgents near the capital, Damascus, on Wednesday, killing more than 60 of them in what seemed a significant assault on rebels seeking to penetrate the capital, according to monitors and state media. |
| SANA, the state news agency, said the rebels belonged to an Islamist unit, the Nusra Front, and some of them were foreigners. It published a series of photographs showing bloodstained bodies in olive drab uniform lying on what seemed to be open sandy, desert ground. | SANA, the state news agency, said the rebels belonged to an Islamist unit, the Nusra Front, and some of them were foreigners. It published a series of photographs showing bloodstained bodies in olive drab uniform lying on what seemed to be open sandy, desert ground. |
| In recent months, government forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been seeking to clear areas around Damascus of rebels threatening the capital, the center of Mr. Assad’s power. The ambush seemed to be a setback for insurgent efforts to resist the government campaign. | In recent months, government forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been seeking to clear areas around Damascus of rebels threatening the capital, the center of Mr. Assad’s power. The ambush seemed to be a setback for insurgent efforts to resist the government campaign. |
| The rebels had been trying to attack a government position when they were ambushed, state media said. But a rebel fighter, who identified himself only as Nouriddine, disputed the official account, saying the rebels were carrying food and flour “but not weapons” for people besieged by government forces. | |
| The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict from Britain through a network of contacts in Syria and which sympathizes with the opposition, said “62 fighters were killed early this morning most of them are young and eight others went missing after they were ambushed by government forces.” | The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict from Britain through a network of contacts in Syria and which sympathizes with the opposition, said “62 fighters were killed early this morning most of them are young and eight others went missing after they were ambushed by government forces.” |
| Opposition fighters said the ambush took place between the Adra industrial area on the northeastern fringe of Damascus and surrounding rural areas. Only three insurgents survived the onslaught. | Opposition fighters said the ambush took place between the Adra industrial area on the northeastern fringe of Damascus and surrounding rural areas. Only three insurgents survived the onslaught. |
| Mohammed Saeed, an activist based near Damascus, told The Associated Press that 65 rebels were walking along what they thought was a secure, hidden road leading into the capital from Qalamoun. | Mohammed Saeed, an activist based near Damascus, told The Associated Press that 65 rebels were walking along what they thought was a secure, hidden road leading into the capital from Qalamoun. |
| “The regime forces riddled them with heavy machine-gun fire,” Mr. Saeed said, speaking via Skype, The A.P. reported. “It seems that the regime discovered the secret road that the rebels were using.” | “The regime forces riddled them with heavy machine-gun fire,” Mr. Saeed said, speaking via Skype, The A.P. reported. “It seems that the regime discovered the secret road that the rebels were using.” |
| The official SANA news agency, meanwhile, reported that 18 civilians, including children, died when a car bomb exploded at a busy intersection in Jaramana on the eastern approaches to Damascus. | |
| Syria’s civil war grew from peaceful, antigovernment protests in March, 2011, leading to a ferocious government crackdown and bloody confrontation that has killed an estimated 100,000 people and uprooted hundreds of thousands. | Syria’s civil war grew from peaceful, antigovernment protests in March, 2011, leading to a ferocious government crackdown and bloody confrontation that has killed an estimated 100,000 people and uprooted hundreds of thousands. |
Ann Barnard and Hwaida Saad reported from Beirut and Alan Cowell from London. | Ann Barnard and Hwaida Saad reported from Beirut and Alan Cowell from London. |