Posted on 12/21/2011 2:36:39 AM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Assad losing control as 10,000 soldiers desert Syrian military
Scores killed in Tuesday's clashes, including 14 troops ambushed by opposition.
By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel Tags: Bashar Assad Syria Arab Spring
More than 10,000 soldiers have deserted the Syrian army, sources say, with as many as half the conscripts not reporting in the last three call-ups.
According to Western intelligence agencies, even though the top brass is still loyal to President Bashar Assad, lower-level officers are deserting in large numbers, and in some cases, whole units have deserted en masse.
The army is considered the main factor safeguarding Assad's regime, after mass protests began in the south in March and spread throughout the country, inspired by the demonstrations elsewhere in the Arab world.
On Tuesday, at least 73 people were killed in Syria in clashes between the army and opposition, most of them in Homs in the west and Idlib in the northwest. The 73 dead added to the 100 who were killed on Monday, among them 14 soldiers ambushed by opposition forces, human rights groups said.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
P!
Assad better start thinking aabout moving unless he wants to end up like Quadaffi (OUCH)
Well then, it’s a good thing that Assad has that ophthalmology background. Not many dictators have real-world career opportunities they can fall back on, and lets face it, being a specialist (like an ophthalmologist) can certainly be a lucrative career.
Always good to have something else in case that whole dictator thing doesn’t pan out.
I’m being (semi) sarcastic, btw.
...the weasel is clearing his escape routes
In 2010 army regulars were estimated at 220,000, with an additional 300,000 in reserve. The army had eleven divisional units. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Army
10 000 is probably just the beginning.
I won’t miss Boy Assad, but from Israel’s perspective he had one good feature: He could be intimidated. His successor might need some IDF-administered attitude adjustment to get the message.
Be interesting to see if baby Assad really throws down on the protesters, or bolts for Paris.
Not to hijack the thread, but I assume you are handicapping the North Korean situation.
What is the over under on little Kim reaching his 30th birthday?
Color me confused. Is this what the Iranians want? Or, like Dr. Frankenstein, have they lost control of their monster?
Hey Bashar, keep the G5 fueled up. I understand North Korea might have a few openings soon.
I wouldn’t bet a plugged nickel on his chances.
Life is rough. Poor, poor assad...
So he’s got that going for him, which is nice.
This will say a lot if these soldiers who follow the Religion of Mean support the ordinary people.
We should be so fortunate if our mostly Christian soldiers do the same when a tyrant attempts to turn our military against the general population.
Can’t wait until radical Islam takes over Syria... (sarc/off)
The control is slipping from their grasp.
The control will revert to someone approved by the moderate Arabs in the Arab League and the Gulf.
As goes so goes Lebanon.
Then, Iran has no play book. Iran lacks the ability to act if surrogates are gone. They will have to take a time out to develop a new play book
Iran may be thinking with nukes, who needs surrogates.....
Always good to have something else in case that whole dictator thing doesn't pan out.
I’m being (semi) sarcastic, btw.
Hold that sarcasm...
One of Sadam Husein's torcher doctors was found to be working for the British National Health System.
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