- Title: TURKEY: Syrian rebel commander Colonel Riad al-Asaad takes refuge in Turkey
- Date: 5th October 2011
- Summary: HATAY, TURKEY (FILE) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) MORE OF BORDER
- Embargoed: 20th October 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Turkey, Turkey
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA574ICPC2ZCDAEAEDD5ERQTCIF
- Story Text: The most senior ranking defector from the Syrian military said on Tuesday (October 4) he had taken refuge in Turkey, refuting claims that he had been arrested when troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad overran a rebel stronghold last week.
"The Syrian regime has hinted that I was arrested. They said I was leading operations in Rastan and Homs and then spread rumours that I was arrested to break the spirits of the fighters in Rastan and across Syria to break their morale and try to create an opportunity to quell protests across Syria if they had arrested a national symbol. They are playing the sectarian card by spreading rumours and lies, but we have been used to the permanent lies of the Syrian regime," said Colonel Riad al-Asaad.
The officer has emerged as the commander of the rebel Syrian Free Army and says around 10,000 soldiers have defected to join pro-democracy protesters.
The rebel colonel's presence in Hatay will add to tensions between Ankara and Damascus.
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit Hatay in the coming days, and is expected to announce sanctions against Syria, having failed to convince his former friend President Assad to halt attacks on civilians and make urgent political reforms.
"They (the Syrian regime) are responding to protests in the streets with the demolition of homes, mosques, the killing of innocent people. A monstrous regime in the literal sense, we haven't seen the type of killing and intimidation the Syrian regime has carried out in the Middle Ages," he said, adding that he believed authorities were killing prominent social figures and then blaming the opposition for the deaths.
The 50-year-old Air Force officer, who comes from Idlib, a northwest Syrian province bordering Turkey, said false reports in the Syrian media were aimed at undermining the morale of a popular uprising that erupted in March.
"I want to send a message to the opposition that they unify and stand together in one line so we can topple the regime. I carry a message for the Syrian people to remain strong and lift their spirits and God willing we are coming to topple the regime and the regime will fall soon, God willing," he said.
Last week, President Assad's troops and security personnel, backed by helicopters and tanks, attacked Rastan, where hundreds of insurgents had taken refuge.
Activists in the Rastan area said rebel operations in the area were being led by the Free Officers Movement, which allied with the Syrian Free Army late last month.
Command of Syria's mostly Sunni military is in the hands of officers from President Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam that also dominates the security apparatus and the ruling elite in the majority Sunni country. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None