At least six Syrian army soldiers were killed Sunday in clashes with deserters in the restive province of Homs, reported an opposition group, dpa reported.
Fierce fighting erupted between regular army units and the defectors near the town of al-Qusair in Homs, added the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in a statement.
The fighting also resulted in destroying three armoured vehicles and unspecified casualties among their soldiers, said the London-based group, quoting a defector.
The group said that heavy shelling by government forces of al-Qusair on Sunday damaged some houses.
It is hard to independently verify news from Syria, as authorities have barred most foreign media from the country since the eruption of pro-democracy protests in mid-March.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the unrest, according to the United Nations.
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