Forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad are seen in the Qalamoun mountains north of Damascus

Forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad are seen in the Qalamoun mountains north of Damascus, in this handout photograph distributed by Syria’s national news agency SANA on December 27, 2013. Syria’s army ambushed Islamist fighters in the Qalamoun mountains north of the capital Damascus on Friday, leaving as many as 60 people dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The attack happened between the Christian town of Maaloula and the town of Yabroud, where government forces and rebels are fighting, added the Observatory, a British-based pro-opposition monitoring group. REUTERS/SANA/Handout via Reuters (SYRIA – Tags: CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) ATTENTION EDITORS ? THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS