Exclusive from Ryan Mauro: Syrian Rebel Army Swelling with Defectors [with VIDEO]
by Ryan Mauro
A series of defections have occurred in Syria over the past two weeks that prove that the momentum is on the side of the Free Syria Army (the name of the rebel forces that are fighting to topple the terrorism-sponsoring Assad regime).
Last Saturday, opposition sources reported that 2,500 soldiers joined the Free Syria Army. This number is impossible to verify but it’s clear that this was the largest bulk defection to date. On Wednesday, an additional 200 soldiers defected in Idlib Province near Turkey, along with an unidentified brigadier-general.
The general’s defection is especially important if he is an Allawite. The regime’s top leaders come from this minority, which accounts for only 10-13% of the entire population. The regime’s vicious Shabbiha militia is entirely Allawite. This minority continues to support Assad, if only because it fears being massacred if he falls. If the rebels can add Allawites to its leadership and public face, it could make the minority feel more comfortable about a post-Assad Syria.
Earlier this month, the opposition revealed that it has received its highest defector to date: Brigadier-General Mostafa Ahmed al-Sheikh, who was the deputy commander of the northern army. He predicts that Assad’s army will “collapse” by the end of the month.
General al-Sheikh explained to The Telegraph that only 40% of the military’s equipment and 32% of the military’s troops are combat-ready. The military’s Sunni officers (the top leaders are from the Allawite minority) have defected, been arrested, put on house arrest or aren’t being deployed because of fears they’ll switch sides.
About two-thirds of the army’s reservists are not reporting for duty. If it were easy for Assad’s troops to defect, there’d be a tidal wave. If I was a betting man, I’d bet on the rebels.
Editor's Note: Assault and tragedy continue to strike the civilians of the city of Homs, the site of incessant shelling by the Assad regime for the past 18 days. The following video is the last interview with Marie Colvin, 55, of the Sunday London Times, a seasoned war journalist, before she was killed by a shell in Homs Wednesday.
