Tribes in east Syria 'told to prepare for army battle'

TRIBES in a restive eastern province of Syria are braced for an army assault but determined to confront it, according to a video posted on YouTube that allegedly shows a meeting of tribal leaders.

It seemed to signal a new front in the resistance to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's use of force to put down growing demonstrations in rural and tribal regions, in suburbs of the capital Damascus and in cities such as Hama and Homs, where violence continued to rage yesterday.

The video shows a sheikh telling what appears to be a tribal meeting that negotiations with the authorities to release detainees and withdraw the military had failed and that security forces were bent on storming Deir al-Zor, a provincial capital.

"Two or three days ago, they sent officers from Aleppo," the man told the crowd of more than 50 people, most in traditional tribal robes. "They offered us 5,000 jobs but we rejected that. So all those who have a weapon (should] prepare yourselves and if the demands are not met, then things are finished," he said to cheers and shouts of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greatest").

The video was impossible to verify, with foreign journalists having been barred from reporting inside the country since protests broke out in March.

Inhabitants in Deir al-Zor, however, affirmed by telephone that a tribal meeting had been held this week and said members of the local people's committees, one of the main anti-Assad activist groups, had been preparing them for a possible army onslaught.

"The city is calm, but you feel there is a mood of war here. We are taking precautions," one resident said.