16 soldiers killed in Syria in clashes with armed terrorist groups

Damascus: As many as 16 Syrian soldiers have been killed in clashes with militants of armed terrorist groups north of Latakia, Syrian newspaper Al-Watan reported on Saturday.Another five soldiers received injuries and have been hospitalized to receive the necessary treatment, the newspaper added.

The armed conflict in Syria has been ongoing since 2011, with various insurgent groups, including terrorist organizations, fighting the Syrian armed forces to oust the government of President Bashar Assad. Over 12 years, the Syrian crisis has placed an estimated 15.3 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, including 5.5 million refugees forced to flee Syria to neighboring states and 6.8 million internally displaced people, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.(UNI)