An official military source said Saturday that the Syrian army forces confronted armed "terrorist groups" in the southern province of Daraa, killing six of their members and arresting 149, Syrian official news agency SANA reported.
A large quantity of weaponry and ammunition were also seized, the source said, Xinhua reported.
The "armed terrorist groups" had attacked private and public properties and intimidated people, it said, adding that the army's confrontations with the groups led to killing of one soldier and injury of seven others.
Daraa has been the hotbed of more than six weeks of protests calling for freedom and reforms. The Syrian government blamed the unrest on "armed gangs and conspirators" who intended to sow seeds of sectarian strife in the country.