At least 35 Syrian government troops and militant supporters died Sunday in an ambush by rebel forces in the Tell Suan zone, on the outskirts of Damascus.

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abderrahman told EFE that the government troops were killed when they launched an attack to try and take over Tell Suan.

The death toll could rise since there are still 10 army soldiers missing, he added.

The Army of Islam rebel group, which launched the attack and damaged two armored Syrian regime vehicles, reported that three of its fighters were killed in the ambush.

Tell Suan is located between the towns of Adra and Douma in a zone which is the main redoubt of rebels near Damascus and is controlled by the Army of Islam.

The group is one of the most important armed factions opposing the regime of Bashar al Assad and has representatives on the Supreme Commission for Negotiations participating in the U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

Syria has been mired in civil war for the past five years, a conflict that has taken more than 260,000 lives, according to the latest figures put out by the Observatory. EFE