Syrian army defections exceed 40,000

Defections from the Syrian army has exceeded 40,000 according to intelligence revealed by Turkish official sources, while the two-day death toll in Homs is reported as at least 260.

Behind-the-doors diplomacy on Syria has stepped up in Munich, where the 48th International Security Conference continues. One of the key topics discussed here, mainly between the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, is whether possible United Nations sanctions on Syria may lead the way to a Libya-style military action.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who maintains Turkey is against such military intervention unless there is a clear UN resoution based on humanitarian reasons, is involved in the talks as a key player which has a border with Syria of 910 kilometers long.

Under the circumstances, the shift of powers within the Syrian army is gaining importance, regarding the possibility for the Bashar al-Assad regime to leave power due to action form the inside. High ranking Turkish sources who asked not to be named said that for an army of some 270,000 troops (215,000 of this being ground troops), a 40,000-strong loss since August 2011 means losing nearly 15 percent of the armed forces.

Turkish officials anticipate more defections due to the escalating antagonism between the Nusayri minority which supports the al-Assad regime and the majority Sunnis. “Nearly 80 percent of the higher ranks are of Nusayri origin,” one Turkish source explained to the Hürriyet Daily News. “And 80 percent of lower ranks and foot soldiers are Sunni. There are reports of broken chains of command and soldiers are simply deserting units with rifles in their hands.

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