2 militant attacks kill 48 Syrian troops

BEIRUT — Syrian government forces faced attacks from Islamic State militants and al-Qaida-linked insurgents in different parts of the country that killed nearly 50 soldiers and allied fighters, activists and a war monitoring group said Saturday.

In one attack, Islamic State militants ambushed government forces in the desert of central Homs province Thursday night, setting off two days of clashes that killed 27 soldiers, including four officers, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

A pro-government militia, known as Liwa al-Quds, confirmed the ambush, saying it had sent its fighters to the aid of the two besieged battalions, made up of nearly 500 soldiers, east of the town of al-Sukhna.

Separately, government forces were attacked by insurgents of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahir al-Sham in northwest Syria, where a cease-fire is supposed to be in place.

The Observatory said the insurgents assaulted the government positions west of Aleppo early Saturday, killing 21 soldiers and allied fighters. Baladi news, an activist-operated news site, said the attack in Akrab village killed 27 soldiers, quoting a Hayat Tahir al-Sham operative.

A cease-fire was reached in the area in September but is increasingly tested. The area includes the last major stronghold of the armed opposition.

The cease-fire was negotiated by Russia and Turkey, who support opposite sides of the conflict but who have closely coordinated their policies.