( CNN ) -- Syrian activists say opposition forces have wrested control of the town of Zabadani from government troops , but the authorities ' tanks remain perched on its outskirts . `` There was massive protests in Zabadani , so the Syrian Army tried to disperse them . But our troops were very organized and aggressive with a counter attack that left them fleeing and they withdrew completely out of the city , '' said Lt. Col. Mohamed Hamdo of the Free Syrian Army ( FSA ) , a group made up of former government soldiers . `` Our forces raised the flag of independence in Zabadani . '' Hamdo said , though , that the opposition fighters `` expect another confrontation '' as the government forces regroup outside the town . The FSA destroyed at least three armored vehicles during the fighting , a Zabadani-based member of the Local Coordination Committees of Syria , an opposition umbrella group , told CNN . Cold weather and snow hindered troop movements into the town , located at the head of a mountain valley , said the activist , who identified himself only as Faris . Faris said Zabadani residents aided the rebel force by providing them with clothing and shelter . No civilians were killed there on Wednesday , he added . Jordan 's king : Do n't expect change soon . Another activist in Zabadani told CNN that Syrian government forces had ringed the town and were shelling it from outside . And a third activist , based in the northern city of Homs , told CNN that about 6,000 people in Zabadani turned out for a demonstration to celebrate Wednesday evening . Video posted on YouTube showed marchers clapping and chanting , waving their fingers in the air in victory signs and voicing thanks to the Free Syrian Army . Syrian authorities have restricted the activity of journalists during the 10-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad , so CNN can not independently verify events there . But a CNN crew accompanied an Arab League monitoring team during a visit to Zabadani on Sunday , when crowds carried the monitors on their shoulders and urged them to stay to prevent reprisals . The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency made no mention Wednesday of events in Zabadani . Elsewhere , the Local Coordination Committees of Syria said 21 more people were killed by government troops on Wednesday . Of those , 13 were killed in Homs , the scene of the worst violence in recent weeks , with the rest scattered around the country , the LCC said . Four people were killed in Idlib , two in the Damascus suburbs , one in Aleppo and one in Daraa , according to the LCC . The Syrian Arab News Agency , meanwhile , said 15 police officers and soldiers , including an army colonel , had been killed in recent fighting . EU plans new sanctions against Syrian regime . The Arab League monitoring mission was scheduled to end Wednesday . But Adnan Al Khudeir , the Cairo-based head of the operation , said the league and the Syrian government were in talks over an extension , and a source close to the mission in Damascus told CNN that all the monitors had been told to remain at their bases on Thursday . Zabadani is about 50 kilometers ( 30 miles ) north of Damascus , near the border with Lebanon . Mohamed Fahmy contributed to this report .
NEW : Opposition official says another confrontation is expected in Zabadani . The opposition says Syrian troops were driven from Zabadani . Residents aided defecting soldiers in the fight , an activist says . Score: 6