By the
CNN Wire Staffupdated 10:18 AM EDT, Mon June 25, 2012
Report: 33 Syrian army members defect to Turkey
(CNN) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military may have more cracks in its armor as dozens more soldiers, including a general and two colonels, have defected across the border, Turkish media reported Monday.
The 33 army defectors entered Turkey and were sent to a camp in southern Hatay province, the Anadolu news agency said, citing authorities.
The defections took place amid heightened tensions between Syria and Turkey, and the rest of the international community, over how to stop the bloodshed spurred by the Syrian government's crackdown on dissidents.
Syria gave no warning before shooting down a Turkish F-4 Phantom jet Friday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Sunday.
The plane was unarmed, was not sending hostile signals, and was identifiable as Turkish, he said.
Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said Monday that the plane was shot down in Syrian airspace. Turkey has said the plane had strayed into Syrian territory in a "short, unintentional violation," but was in international airspace when it was shot down.
Syria rejects Turkey claims on downed jet
Turkish search-and-rescue teams found the wreckage of the fighter jet Sunday in the Mediterranean Sea, about 1,300 meters (4,260 feet) underwater, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal said. There was no word about survival of the two-man crew.
Western leaders condemned Syria's downing of the fighter jet.
"We will work with Turkey and other partners to hold the Assad regime accountable," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said. "Turkey has been a leader in the international community's effort to address the Syrian regime's violence against its own people."
On Saturday, Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a military spokesman as saying "the target turned out to be a Turkish military plane that entered Syrian airspace and was dealt with according to laws observed in such cases."
More than 33,000 Syrians have fled to Turkey to escape the violence in their country, Anadolu reported.
Since Syria's anti-government uprising started in March last year, more than 15,000 people in Syria, mostly civilians, have been killed, according to the opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The United Nations has said that at least 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
CNN cannot confirm specific reports of violence in Syria because the government has restricted access to the country by international journalists.
Opposition groups say the violence began when a government crackdown on peaceful protesters generated a nationwide uprising, including the armed resistance. Syria consistently blames "armed terrorist groups" for the violence.
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CNN's Salma Abdelaziz and journalist Gul Tuysuz contributed to this report.
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Today is
The Wave of Defections has Begun
4 Days ago, A Syrian Pilot flying an attack aircraft, defected to Turkey, and today, 33 other Syrian military personnel defected to Turkey, to include in the 33 military personnel, a General and a Colonel, two very high ranking officers.
The Defection of key military personnel is one thing, but, when the defections are in groups as large as 33, one must sense that a flood gate is about to open.
The speculations for the defections may have something to do with the U.S. and the U.N. announcing that Military Personnel will be held accountable once the Syrian Regime finally falls, which simply states to military personnel that you can't hide behind being ordered to act when one understands right from wrong.
The other speculatory reason for the defections also may have to do with the fact that the defection of a aircraft pilot, provided the opportunity for those who have been weary of their actions for quite some time, regarding their defense of Al-Assad's regime.
For Al-Assad, the defection of a Pilot and now, the defection of high ranking officers with many men ought to generate some huge concerns, regarding the disposition of the loyalty of his military. The Defections of high ranking officers also can provide the outside world with significant internal strategy and planning that has been taking place over the past 18 months.
What happens now?
I'm going to assume that Al-Assad will begin to panic, primarily because defections of a general and a colonel provides the possibility that a debrief of the two high ranking officers will result in specific facts associated with Assad's actual knowledge of attacks and murders of some Syrian Citizens, facts that will be hard for Assad to refute.
The results of Assad's panic will lead to drastic actions by his regime, possibly initiating communication for his asylum in another country, perhaps a deal that would allow him to leave without any possibility of being accountable for all the deaths and tortures, or possibly turning himself into the United Nations for further determinations.
One thing for sure, Assad's days are numbered and he should now begin to feel the inevitable conclusion that is so close to being reality.
In My Opinion
ASKFMB
6/25/2012
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