Intense clashes erupted Thursday between Syria's transitional government forces and loyalists of ousted regime leader Bashar Assad as the new rulers struggle to restore security in the war-torn nation.
The violence began when security forces raided the village of Balqasah, located west of Homs in central Syria, where remnants of Assad's regime had taken refuge, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group.
The fighting, which involved heavy weapons and drones, resulted in the deaths of four security personnel, the observatory reported.
An unspecified number of Assad’s supporters, led by a wanted man known as Shujaa al-Ali, were also killed in the fighting, the observatory added.
Al-Ali, a pro-Iran fighter in the area, is wanted in connection with murder and kidnapping, according to the U.K.-based monitor, which relies on a network of contacts inside Syria.
Syria's state news agency SANA confirmed the clashes, saying they left two security personnel dead and 10 others injured.
The agency reported that during a security campaign in the Homs countryside, outlaw groups linked to Assad's militias attacked security forces.
Assad, who ruled Syria for more than two decades, fled the country as anti-regime forces advanced on the capital, Damascus, on Dec. 8, after making significant territorial gains against his forces in a lightning offensive.
Earlier Thursday, security forces arrested Major-General Mohammed Kingo al-Hassan in the Tartus countryside in western Syria.
Al-Hassan, who served as director of Assad's Military Judicial Administration, ordered the execution of many detainees, the observatory reported.
Fourteen security personnel were killed Wednesday in an attack believed to have been carried out by Assad’s supporters during a security raid to arrest al-Hassan, according to the observatory.
During the operation, young armed individuals reportedly opened fire on the officers.
The attack, carried out by Assad’s supporters, also left three of the assailants dead, the monitor added.
The transitional government’s Interior Ministry had warned of efforts by loyalists of the ousted Syrian leader to destabilize the country.
Large numbers of angry people took to the streets Wednesday in several cities in Syria, including Damascus, to protest after a shrine of a prominent cleric was vandalized, eyewitnesses said.
