Opposition forces killed 13 Syrian regime soldiers on the outskirts of Syria's capital city Damascus, Syrian rebels claimed Thursday, Anadolu agency reported.
A local Syrian activist, Abu Eyad, said the Free Syrian Army killed 13 Syrian soldiers loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in Jobar district, which is located in northeast Damascus.
"The Syrian regime could never gain control of Jobar in the past and will never succeed now," Eyad said.
The activist also claimed that he heard news of Assad visiting the nearby Jobar military base to give moral support to his troops. "Assad came to military bases near the district of Jobar, but he cannot come over here."
Opposition forces began protests in March 2011 to topple Assad's regime, a struggle that turned into a civil war in July of that year after regime forces violently suppressed the demonstrations.