Syria: Three Uzbek fighters killed in clashes in Idlib

Three Uzbek fighters were killed in clashes with Syrian regime forces in the rebel-held Idlib region, according to sources.

The operation came in response to previous regime bombing in the area which killed "jihadists," sources told The New Arab’s sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

It was not clear which armed group the Uzbek nationals belonged to, but several Islamist factions are active in Idlib and thousands of foreign fighters are believed to have taken part in the Syrian conflict on both sides.

The bodies of the three fighters were retrieved by regime forces following the clash.

An unspecified number of Syrian regime soldiers also died in the attack on the village of Jobas, in eastern Idlib province.

The rebel-held Idlib region in northwestern Syria has seen a spike in violence recently following months of relative calm. It was previously targeted on a daily basis by the Assad regime and its ally Russia.

After receiving crucial backing from Russia and Iran, the Assad regime now controls most of war-torn Syria.

Turkey on the other hand has supported Syrian rebels.

The Syrian conflict began in March 2011 following the brutal suppression of peaceful protests by the Assad regime.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, mostly as a result of regime and Russian bombardment of civilian areas and half the country's pre-war population of 23 million has been displaced.