Moscow, Oct 14: Syrian government troops have killed a Saudi military officer in a mop-up operation in the northwestern province of Idlib, Press TV reported Sunday.
The officer, identified as Mohammad Salem al-Harbi, was killed Saturday in a fierce battle between Syrian troops and anti-government rebels in the western town of Ma'arrat al-Numan, 73 km south of the city of Aleppo, the Arabic-language news network Al-Alam said.
The report said many foreign militants of Turkish nationality were also killed.
Aleppo has been the site of intense fighting between government and rebel forces for the last two months. It has a population of 2.5 million and is strategically important.
The conflict in Syria has since March 2011 claimed over 20,000 lives, according to UN data.
