Atrocity in SyriaFrom
IN times of conflict, names of unknown towns gain world currency. Syria`s Jisr al-Shughour is one of them. It typifies a tottering regime`s lust for power irrespective of the cost in terms of deaths and human suffering. Jisr al-Shughour is now a ghost town, with most of its 50,000 people heading towards Turkey to avoid a massacre by the state. Indications are that an undetermined number of soldiers have mutinied. The opposition has been claiming a mutiny for quite some time, but there was no confirmation. However, the government`s charge that 120 soldiers had been massacred by “armed gangs” lends credence to the mutiny claims. There are no foreign correspondents in Syria, yet such news as has filtered out of the country speaks of soldiers being shot from behind by defectors as tanks and troops advanced on Jisr al-Shughour. The state TV`s claim that the “armed gangs” were using machine-guns and grenades and had seized “tons of dynamite” tend to confirm the likelihood of a revolt in the army.
Friday once again saw countrywide protests after noon prayers, with over 30 people being killed when security forces opened fire on demonstrators in Latakia, Deraa and Damascus suburbs. The casualty toll since the protests began in March has gone up to 1,300, with the level of force used by the government to quell the uprising drawing international censure. While the White House has condemned the “outrageous use of violence” against the anti-government protesters, stronger denunciation has come from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, who is President Bashar al-Assad`s personal friend. Mr Erdogan used the word `atrocity` for the state forces` crackdown on the demonstrators and the treatment of the bodies of dead women, and said Mr Assad underestimated the gravity of the situation. Mr Erdogan has reason to be concerned because, if the fighting in Jisr al-Shughour and elsewhere doesn`t end, Turkey could face a mass influx of Syrian refugees. Jisr al-Shughour has done its job for the `Arab Spring` in Syria: it is unlikely that things will be the same again for President Assad. His loyalists are deserting him.
