Over 10,000 Militants Trying to Capture Hama - Russian Military

A group of 10,000 ex-Nusra Front militants attempted to capture the Syrian Hama about a week, the Russian General Staff said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — A group of 10,000 ex-Nusra Front (terrorist group banned in Russia) and allied militants attempted to capture the Syrian city of Hama for a week, the Russian General Staff said Tuesday.

"A number of militant formations attempted to seize the city of Hama since March 21. In the area under opposition control a group was formed numbering more than 10,000, with the foundation of Jabhat al-Nusra and bandit formations that joined them," chief of the Russian General Staff Main Operational Directorate Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy said.

Rudskoy said the "terrorists managed to capture several settlements in the vicinity of Hama and come close to the city using numerical superiority."

He stressed, however, that the situation has stabilized thanks to the Syrian army and the Russian Aerospace Forces support.

Over 2,100 militants have been killed in four days, with the operation continuing to this day and Syrian troops entering a counteroffensive, Rudskoy added.