Mutiny claim after Syria says armed men killed 120 troops

SYRIAN soldiers have joined protesters following days of military repression in a tense northern region, reportedly killing dozens of former comrades.

Details of what happened in the town of Jisr al-Shughour on Monday remain unconfirmed, but seem to indicate a growing mutiny against the rule of president Bashar al-Assad.

His government said 120 troops and police had died after an attack by armed groups on the town, but did not explain why the losses were so heavy.

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The town was the target of the most recent assault by Syria's military, whose nationwide crackdown on the revolt against Mr Assad has left more than 1,300 dead, activists say. A resident yesterday said tensions began last week with snipers and security forces firing on peaceful protests and then funerals, killing around 30 people.

The resident said a number of soldiers defected, angered by the behaviour of pro-government gunmen known as "shabiha," a name some believe has roots in the Arabic word for "ghost." The unnamed resident said the gunmen were terrorising residents and trying to stir up sectarian tensions.

Jisr al-Shughour is mainly Sunni but there are Alawite and Christian villages in the area. The Alawite, Shia minority rules a Sunni majority in Syria, and the uprising has stirred tensions.

"There was heavy gunfire and very loud explosions from across the river on Saturday and Sunday," he said. "We heard there were massacres, bodies thrown in the river."

There have been sporadic reports since the uprising began of troops defecting and fighting each other, but if the latest toll is confirmed, this would by far be the deadliest mutiny.

France yesterday said the latest events in Syria showed Mr Assad has lost legitimacy to rule, and Britain said he must "reform or step aside".

Further underlining the fractures in Syrian society, gunmen from a Palestinian faction loyal to Mr Assad shot dead at least 11 Palestinians at a refugee camp near Damascus on Monday in a dispute over the group's backing for Damascus, Palestinian sources said yesterday.

Hundreds of angry refugees had tried to storm the headquarters of the Syrian-backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command in the main Yarmouk camp on the edge of Damascus. They accused the group of sacrificing Palestinian lives by encouraging protesters to demonstrate at the Golan Heights, where several were shot by Israeli forces.

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The Jisr al-Shughour resident said people were fleeing the area for the Turkish border about 12 miles away, fearing retaliation from a regime known for ruthlessly crushing dissent."People were struck by fear and panic after the government statements last night, it's clear they are preparing for a major massacre," he said.

In many ways, Syrians say, the shabiha are more terrifying than the army and security forces, whose tactics include firing on protesters. Most shabiha fighters belong to the Alawite sect. This ensures the gunmen's loyalty to the regime, built on fears they will be persecuted if the Sunni majority gains the upper hand.

Jisr al-Shughour was a stronghold of the country's banned Muslim Brotherhood in the 1980s. Human rights groups said at least 42 civilians have been killed there since Saturday.

Some activists also told of a mutiny, with a few soldiers switching sides and defending themselves against attacking security forces. Other reports said many Syrians also took up arms to defend themselves.

A resident of Jisr al-Shughour, who spoke from a nearby village where he fled days ago, scoffed at reports of armed resistance.

"Since the 1980s, residents of Jisr al-Shughour are banned from possessing any kind of weapons, even a hunting rifle," he said. "So how can there be armed resistance?"

A prominent activist outside Syria with connections to the area said many Syrians had taken to carrying weapons in response to the killings of protesters. But he said clashes over the past few days were mainly between supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and Syrian security forces.

"The area is effectively outside the control of Syrian security forces now," he said.

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