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militant is seen clashing with Syrian government forces in the
Salaheddin neighborhood of Syria's Aleppo on December 11, 2013.
Sat Dec 14, 2013 9:19PM GMT
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commander of foreign-backed militants in Syria has frozen to death as
the Arab country as has been swept by a snowstorm, a report says.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday that the
body of the commander “who was on his way from [the northwestern
province of] Idlib to Homs (in central Syria) has been found. He died
during the snowstorm."It said there were no signs of gunshots or wounds and that he was “frozen” to death, adding the commander was in his 40s and a member of the Suqur al-Sham brigades.
Two other frozen bodies were also reportedly found in Homs province. However, it was not yet clear whether they were militants or civilians.
The snowstorm began on Wednesday, reducing the temperature to below zero in some areas in Syria.
On Thursday, the foreign-backed Syrian National Coalition (SNC) said that a baby and child died of cold in Aleppo and Rastan city in Homs.
The cold weather did not stop the battle on a front at Adra, east of the capital, Damascus. The fighting began four days ago after militants attacked the area.
Syrian government forces hit back with a counter-offensive, promising to push the militants out of the area.
More than 100,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in March 2011.The prolonged militancy has also forced millions of Syrians to flee their homes.
SAB/NN/AS
