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Subscribe to RSSANKARA, Turkey -- Dozens of members of Syria's military defected to Turkey overnight with their families, a Turkish official said Monday, at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries over Syria's downing of a Turkish military plane.
The state-run Anadolu news agency said 33 soldiers crossed into Turkey overnight and the group — 224 people in all — included a general and two colonels.
A government official, however, said the group included three colonels and there was no general among them. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, did not know the overall number of defectors and the two accounts could not immediately be reconciled.
The defections come three days after Syria shot down a Turkish aircraft it said had violated its airspace, further fraying relations between the two countries that were once allies.
Turkey has summoned a NATO meeting for Tuesday to agree a response to the downing of its military reconnaissance jet in what it says was an attack without warning. NATO's founding treaty allows an ally to request consultations whenever it feels its security is threatened.
Turkey said the plane had unintentionally strayed into Syria's airspace, but was inside international airspace when it was brought down. It has insisted the jet was on a training flight to test Turkey's radar capabilities and was not spying on Syria.
Turkey seeks NATO action over Syria military jet downing
Turkey's cabinet was due to meet on Monday to discuss Friday's attack, which lent a more menacing international dimension to the 16-month-old uprising against President Bashar Assad. Britain said it could press for more serious action at the United Nations Security Council.
Reports are surfacing that Syria may have shot down a Turkish fighter jet over Syrian waters in the Mediterranean Sea. NBC's Richard Engel reports.
Anadolu said the group of defectors was placed in a refugee camp in Hatay, a province bordering Syria but there was no further information. Turkey is hosting some 33,000 Syrians who have crossed into Turkey to find refuge from the 15-months old violence.
Thousands of soldiers have abandoned the Syrian regime, but most are low-level conscripts. The Free Syria Army — the loosely linked group of rebel forces — is made up largely of defectors.
Report: Saudis will pay salaries of Syria rebel army
Defectors affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and based in Turkey are known to collect food and other supplies to deliver to comrades on smuggling routes.
The government official said another group of some 60 army defectors had also crossed into Turkey recently.
P.J. Crowley, former State Department spokesman, joins Andrea Mitchell Reports to talk about how US and Russia might work together to prevent a civil war in Syria.
The United Nations has said more than 10,000 people have been killed by government forces, while Syria has said at least 2,600 members of the military and security forces have been killed by what it calls foreign-backed "Islamist terrorists."
Fierce fighting continued inside Syria, which has a 550-mile border with Turkey, with rebel fighters killing dozens of soldiers in the last few days as they fought against army attacks on towns and villages in central, north and eastern Syria in the last several days, according to opposition sources.
Reports: West may offer Syria's Assad immunity
Syrian tanks and artillery shelled the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, killing at least 20 people on Sunday in the second day of heavy bombardment in the country's main oil-producing region, opposition activists said.
"Regime forces have dismantled their roadblocks from inside of Deir al-Zor after incurring heavy losses from rebels. They have withdrawn from residential areas and are now shelling the city from the outskirts. The victims are mostly civilians," a source at a hospital in Deir al-Zor told Reuters.
The official state news agency said "terrorists" abducted a state-appointed head of clerics in Deir al-Zor and blew up an oil pipeline passing through the province.
Syria air force colonel flies to Jordan, gets political asylum
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, an opposition activists' organization that monitors the crackdown on the 16-month revolt against Assad's rule, said loyalist forces on Sunday killed another 70 people, mostly civilians and soldiers who had tried to defect, elsewhere in the country in shelling, military raids and summary executions in the provinces of Homs, Hama, Idlib, Deraa and suburbs of Damascus.
The intensification of the fighting has raised fears in Turkey of a flood of refugees and a slide into ethnic and religious warfare that could envelop the region. Ankara, like the West, is torn between a wish to remove Assad and the fear that any armed intervention could unleash uncontrollable forces.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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Since the upper echelon is defecting, they must understand that Assad is going to fall soon. However, removing the field commanders from the picture only leaves the rank and file without leadership, which will allow Assad more control over their ferocity. Expect more civilians to be killed and more claims by Assad of 'terrorists' perpetrating the mayhem. He is not wrong. The 'terrorists' are under his direct orders.
mathuin You know , you sound like McCain , you probably are McCain , So all that killing is Assad doing , He woke up one morning and said to himself , Its time for me to start killing my own people , You know , the more of you all''s comments I read , The more I see how we go to countries and destroy them and we believe every lie we are told , Naive maybe , there are some other words , But I am going to be nice . And to You SF Accountant , I see you still as misinformed as ever , Or just plain old dumb .
The US is Gathering control for the one world gov. Inventing excuses to invade others, Like 911, an inside job that only americans are dumb to beleive. Stop believeing the lies. The US military was signed over to the UN long ago. It's all smoke & mirres
from the pictures of homs, seem like Assad is doing a excellent job destroying his own country, but the indiscriminating bombing of Assad's forces are killing innocent people and then Assad blames it on terrorist groups knowing full well the bombings of cities comes directly from Assad. What is absurd is people like my turn who comments everyday in support of a hitler type dictator slaughtering his own people, even children, and you support him doing that to prevent them from winning their freedom, Assad's days are limited, my guess is that since Assad generals and other officiers are leaving his force to join the opposition, Assad body will eventually be dragged from town to town, city to city
Don't be too hard on My Turn. He only supports Assad's butchery out of fear of the lives of Syria's Christians, because he believes that it's okay to murder or oppress Muslims as long as it keeps Christians safe.
It's not very Christian of him, ironically, but look at him; he can barely string together a coherent sentence. I doubt he even knows what the tenets of Christianity are.
Why do arab leaders say? We stole their bleesing. (the anglo saxons) Jacob stole essau blessing, So, Who are they saying they are ? In jacobs trouble essau gets the blessings back for an hour, then he is judged. AMEN ! For now islam is the ax in gods hand against his people that profain his name saying; the law is no more. GOD dosen't change,so how can his perfect law ? jews & christains repent,the ax is on the way.
A History Lesson in the Making
Through the Dust of History
Most people think that the reason that Osama bin Laden attacked America on 9.11.01 was because of the war between Christians and Muslims during the Great Crusades. This is not true.
The real reason that Osama Bin Laden attacked New York was because he thought it like to be that of Old Babylon. A city that the ancestors of Osama Bin Laden, the Persians, under Darius the King of Persia had lost two battles to Alexander the Great by fleeing the battle because he only thought of his own protection instead of defending his city state, Babylon.
Those in today's society who are not Muslim and despise Babylon are part of the ancestry of those Greeks who as Mercenaries in Darius' Army fought against Alexander at Gaugamela.
Those here in America who call theirselves Americans and spoke out badly against what happened to New York on 9.11.01 such as Jerry Fallwell, The West Borrow Baptist Church etc. are those that served on the side of Darius during the fight between Darius and Alexander.
Osama Bin Laden attacked New York not because he knew he could ever conquer America with his army but if he was able to raise dissent in America through the extreme right wing attacking Americans like they did at Gaugamela in the service of Darius then Bin Laden's goal of causing a political turmoil in America would be complete in making certain that a President who was not strong militarily, like Romney, would be elected as a result of the cost of the war effecting Americans so that American (Alexander's Army) would pull out of the Middle East so that Osama Bin Laden and his Persian Army could slaughter all those who opposed him in order to return the Middle East to an all inclusive Persian (Osama bin Laden designed) empire of Persian like Bin Ladens.
The war in the Middle East is not over oil or gas or religion but a war between Darius and Alexander the Great for the city of Babylon.
Most citizens think that Babylon fell into decay and then back into the Earth from where it came.
Not true the entire planet is one large Babylon that Alexander conquered from the Persian's and no matter how hard they try they will never retake Babylon.
Now you know why we were attacked on 9.11.01 and now you know why we need to side with the Syrians against Assad.
Once Osama bin Laden was killed the spirit of Darius escaped and found its way into Assad of Syria. Once Assad is gone there will be very few bodies left for Darius to find a new home in so that slowly but surely Alexander the Greats goal of riding Darius down for betraying his men on the field twice will be complete.
Nice fairy tale, For those that like like to sleep threw life with their eyes closed. 911 was an inside gov. job, & the arabs Know it. Do the research yourself ?
Ah, yes, the Arabs know. Despite not actually being there.
Were you not making fun of a major tragedy, that would actually be funny. "Only Americans are dumb enough to believe 9/11 wasn't an inside job". Even though Americans would be in the best position to determine the truth behind the enormous planes flying through their buildings and all the possible avenues of government involvement.
Al Queda - the ones who flew planes into the WTC, since you don't seem to know anything about the incident - even came out and condemned Iran's president for spreading such a stupid story when it was obvious they did it; they didn't want Iran mocking their greatest successful attack during the entire history of their organization.
Nato.....Under Article 5 of the Nato treaty, any country(as defined in the treaty) can ask for all other members to assit to restore order, and if necessary by means of combat...........however it does not mean that qny other member is required to,,the parties will gather and discuss the problem and determine the best way to resolve the problem...this does not mean that the country that was attacked cannot act alone, they have every right to defend themselves...
Mark got back to reading comic books and fairy tales,,,,your living in a fantasy world...good night
Stan I prefer the real world and study religion & history It's interesting how they are two in the same.One dosen't exist with out the other. Those that denigh GOD and claim they came from a rock after millions of years of rain tho, will allways ridicul. Is that you?
Mark, my religious views are mine, I do not attempt to push my beliefs on anyone...I do not deny God, God is that he is.But based on your comment that 9/11 was an inside job is just fantasy, and you nor anyone can prove it to be otherwise...You base your opinion on something someone says he can prove, well I disagree, what happened on 9/11 was not as you put it an inside job... OBL and co were behind it period...have a good day
So you study religion and history, Mark. Do you study engineering or government? No?
Clearly, if you did, you would realize that it is impossible for the 9/11 attack to be an inside job. Or rather, if it was, then it would be impossible to hide it.
A sad is just a puppet,doing as they want. He will be given safe passage out in do time, if he stays within the play
Seems like the general who defected last week gave good example for other to follow. who knows in a couple of months half of Syria Army have defected to Turky
I'm so amazed at how incredibly off track everyone is here.
Here are the simple facts:
1) Turkey is rebuilding their sphere of influence through economic means rather than military. It is planned and well thought out. A few years back, Turkey opened its borders with Syria allowing free travel for Syrian citizens to Turkish cities. That was the biggest undermining of Assad, as it exposed Syrians to a free society with wealth and prospects.
2) Russia is STILL trying to avoid being a land locked country. They have NEVER been able take the Bosphorous and Dardanelles from Turkish hands and so they cozy up to Assad to help them maintain a military presence with access to the Mediterranean. As unrest grows in Syria due to the exposure to Turkish society, Russia props up Assad with anti-aircraft weaponry meant to ward off the Turkish attempts.
3) Turkey harbors, protects, and supports the uprising, but does not want military involvement as it would defeat their goal of winning the hearts and minds of Syrians and helping to develop a "friendly" neighbor that would be economically tied to Turkey.
4) Assad shoots down an "unarmed" Turkish fighter jet to flex his muscle.
5) Turkey now sees the potential to hasten the demise of Assad. They call for a NATO meeting nearly 4 days out, seeking to find time to assess the situation and possible outcomes of a military incursion. Whether or not they can win a war is not even a question. The question is whether or not they can manage it while maintaining their friendly relationship with the Syrian people. While NATO prepares for the meeting, the Turkish military is most likely discussing all with the Syrian revolutionaries.
6) Turkey DOES NOT want NATO involvement. This is an effort to gain ground on a weak Russia in this region. NATO involvement would undermine that effort. They simply want a little time to organize and the blessing of NATO to undertake whatever they (Turks) propose as a legitimate response.
7) Russia is loading their pants, as they will necessarily lose their access to the mediterranean. They can not take on Turkey, as the Turkish pass through the Bosphorous and Dardanelles will be their only remaining outlet. NO western country would ever stand for the straits to fall into anyone else's hands. The economic impact would be unrecoverable. Russia has already lost. Her only alternative would be a direct confrontation with Turkey which would be suicide.
The Russian influence in Syria is the primary reason for a lack of NATO support up to now, in stark contrast to Libya. The Brits, Americans, etc., have a need to keep Russia close politically. The Turks have no such handicap. From the former Soviet block of eastern Europe to Pakistan, the two major players are Russia and Turkey. Russia has been steadily losing that battle, and will lose Syria completely here. I would not be suprised to see even a Russian fueled hastening of Assad's demise in a last ditch effort to maintain some influence.
Net net: NATO is merely a side player here. This is a battle between Turkey and Russia, and the prize is Syria. Everything else being discussed is utter nonsense.
You have all valid points, except for one proviso, Turkey has just asked for NATO help should things turn.
Well, it makes sense. Turkey is a NATO country, and is entitled to assistance if things go sour.
I hope you're right, Omni. I've been hoping for a while that Turkey take this on and hasten the end of this conflict. It's about time for Assad to meet with Ghaddafi.
p*ssed off:
As far as has been reported, the Turks have NOT asked for assistance, only a meeting. Secondly, do not underestimate the negotiating capability of Erdogan. He may indeed make a gesture to that effect knowing full well that it is not a possibility. That would then give them cover for going it alone.
Once again, there is a reason this is at NATOs feet and not the UN. The UN would drag its feet and force Turkey to meet all sorts of diplomatic prerequisites before they can do anything. Not to mention, everything would stall in the Security Council. NATO is only concerned with how it would effect them politically. If the Turks present a valid argument as to how they can achieve a means to the end without military involvement, and political cover for their own countries, they will be successful. Of course, there will be 2 sets of conversations; what takes place at the round table, and what takes place in the corridors and side rooms. This is Erdogan's strength. He will propose a win win situation for the NATO powers, allowing them to block any public request for assistance, then go it alone, gaining some serious clout on the world stage. Everything he does is with an eye on gaining political strength internationally.
Q-What do you call a bus load of politicians at the bottom of the sea?
A- A good start.
Go get 'em Turkey,
Let the bodies hit the floor. Send body bags.
Turkey should roll in 50,000 troops with heavy armor then take everything east of the Euphrates river. After the dust settles let the people in that area decide which country the want to be in. I heard there are 1,000,000 Ethnic Turks in Syria. Assad can't engage Turkey without Al Qaida catching him in a weakened condition.
Maybe just part out Syria all together. Give part to the Palestinians and part to Syrians and a large part to Turkey. But they would have to surrender a little land to the Kurds. 5,000,000 Kurds are a people without a country.
Turkey would give up say 2000 sq miles but gain 4000 miles of Syria. Kurds get a country. Palestinians get a country. Israel gets rid of Palestinians. Syrians get rid of Assad. Iran is ass out.
It's a sad day when a nations military attacks in it's homeland and civilians are killed because of it. Sure looks like alot are dying ( by murder ) by the militarys hand.
I know Syria has had problems for so long. Seria is full of terrorist too. I guess it's military has a shot first ask questions later policy. Maybe it's military is so poorly run thay can't tell the good people from the bad ones and they figure the lose of life isn't as important as sending a message as a civilian you will be killed just because you are near anyone who gives them opisition. I don't know. What a mess. Everybody is on a hair trigger over there.
keep it!
Many here seems to expect Turkey to gather the troops and march into Syria.
I, personally, don't. I think Turkey will stay onthe fence. Just like everyone else, they have better things to do with their time money and lives.
They are pushed a little harder than others, because they have to keep letting the starys into their country, but that's still better than getting your people killed.
And no, it's not because Russia would run to the rescue of oh-so-pecious Assad. Russis too has better things to do.
May be in Nato had Turkey's back, they cold give it a try, but Nato clearly does not have their back, or any one elses for that matter.
Syrians are on their own.
OK people....tell me....what is going to change in our relations with Syria if Asaad wins? NOTHING!!!! and if the rebels win? NOTHING!!! The US is the great satan regardless who wins. I dont care which side wins. Are things better in any of the mideast countries that we supported? Egypt? Iraq? Afghanistan? Haven't heard too much about Libya in the news. Whats happening there?
It is not surprising, and a welcome development, that many more Syrian military officials of higher rank are beginning to question the wisdom of going out "under orders from Assad" to kill their neighbors and countrymen, including women and children. The increasing defections also make it likely that they could face serious threat of injury or death in carrying out those orders. Thus, there are more who are willing to walk away from Assad either from a moral and ethical judgment or simply fear for their own safety. In any event, it appears that Assad's delusional lie about "Islamist Terrorists" is wearing very thin within the ranks of his own troops.