About nine people were killed in Syria's central province of Homs by radical groups on Wednesday, pro-government Sama TV reported.

The victims were reportedly killed by members of the al-Qaida- linked Nusra Front in Mushirfeh town in the eastern countryside of Homs, the report said, spelling no further details.

In the capital Damascus, meanwhile, a taekwondo player in the Syrian National Team of Taekwondo was killed and seven other people were wounded when two mortar shells struck the Faiha Sport City in the heart of the capital.

Earlier in the day, armed radical groups briefly stormed the Christian-dominated town of Maloula in the countryside of Damascus but were later dislodged by the Syrian troops.

Reportedly, the hard-line fighters started the attack against Maloula by staging a blast at a military checkpoint at the entrance of the town.

After their brief storming, the assailants reportedly threatened the residents with revenge due to their pro-government stances.

The country's 30-month crisis has slid toward the quagmire of sectarian rivalries in a community renowned of its remarkable melange of sects and beliefs.?

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