WarSclerotic

30 Syrian soldiers defect during clashes near Latakia | The Times of Israel.

Desertions occur as Assad forces and rebels clash in coastal village home to a presidential palace

Free Syrian Army fighters gather during fighting against government troops in Idlib, north Syria (photo credit: AP/Rodrigo Abd)

The report of Assad forces defecting came as government forces clashed with Syrian rebels in the coastal city. They are the latest in a steady trickle of desertions by Syrian Army officers and soldiers since the conflict began 13 months ago.

Saturday’s fighting took place in the village of Burj Islam, where one of Assad’s presidential palaces is located, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The attacks happened a day after a bomb detonated near a mosque in Damascus killing nine people and injuring more than 20. Government news outlets described the attack as a “terrorist bombing” and claimed the victims were civilians and government forces.

Eighteen others were killed across Syria on Friday, according to the Local Coordination Committees.

This entry was posted on April 28, 2012 at 5:00 PM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.