Three army personnel were killed Monday in clashes between Syrian border guards and an "armed terrorist group" in the central province of Hama, state-run SANA news agency reported.

The clashes took place in Ethrya town near al-Salamieh area of Hama, and the killed included an officer, SANA said.

A number of the armed group members were also killed and injured during the clashes.

In a separate incident, an "armed terrorist group" kidnapped First Lieutenant Humam Ramadan in the eastern province of Deir al- Zour. SANA said Ramadan was kidnapped while he was driving to his unit.

Meanwhile, an army patrol clashed Monday with an "armed terrorist group" driving an ambulance along the Massyaf bridge in central Syria, and all gunmen in the car were killed, according to SANA.

It said 141 automatic rifles were found inside the car, in addition to RPGs (rocket propelled grenades), night-vision binoculars, 125 magazines, two sniper rifles, five guns, and other ammunition.

On the opposition side, some Arab news TV channels cited activists as saying that around seven people were killed Monday, adding that 27 people have been killed over the past 24 hours, mostly in northern Idlib and central Homs provinces.

The Syrian government has blamed the unrest in Syria on plots by terrorists and foreign-backed armed gangs, and said more than 2, 000 army and security personnel were killed during the past months, while the opposition accuses the government of attacking protesters.

The United Nation put the death toll in the Syrian unrest at around 6,000.