'Terrorists' kill 14 in Syria

DAMASCUS - Armed "terrorist" groups committed a massacre in the central province of Homs, leaving 14 people killed, the pro-government al-Watan daily reported Monday.

The massacre occurred Sunday at a village in al-Qusair area in Homs where the armed groups raided the houses and farms in that village, said al-Watan.

Quoting "security sources," the paper said that a large number of armed men surrendered themselves at Talkalakh area, which is close to the Lebanese borders, said al-Watan, adding that the competent authorities confiscated large quantities of weapons, ammunition and fake passports.

In eastern Deir al-Zour province, government troops clashed Sunday with "terrorists," which led to the killing of five army personnel, including a captain and a lieutenant colonel.

As the violence continues, UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's team will arrive in Damascus Monday to discuss setting up an international monitoring mission for Syria.

The Syrian government has accused some Arab and Western countries of providing weapons and financial support to the armed groups in Syria. It said in December 2011 that "armed terrorist groups" had killed more than 2,000 army and security personnel during the unrest.

The United Nations said recently that more than 8,000 people died in Syria's violence. In Geneva, the UN refugee agency said 230,000 Syrians have fled their homes since the beginning of domestic violence in Syria last year.