Israel Matzav

Syrian soldiers shot for refusing to fire on protesters

Witnesses told al-Jazeera that Syrian troops who refused to fire on their fellow citizens were shot.

Witnesses told al-Jazeera and the BBC that some soldiers had refused to shoot after the army moved into Banias in the wake of intense protests on Friday.

Human rights monitors named Mourad Hejjo, a conscript from Madaya village, as one of those shot by security snipers. "His family and town are saying he refused to shoot at his people," said Wassim Tarif, a local human rights monitor.

Footage on YouTube shows an injured soldier saying he was shot in the back by security forces, while another video shows the funeral of Muhammad Awad Qunbar, who sources said was killed for refusing to fire on protesters. Signs of defections will be worrying to Syria's regime. State media reported a different version of events, claiming nine soldiers had been killed in an ambush by an armed group in Banias.

Activists said not all soldiers reported dead or injured were shot after refusing to fire. "We are investigating reports that some people have personal weapons and used them in self-defence," said Tarif.

Whether soldiers will shoot their fellow citizens is a major test for these regimes. In Egypt, they refused. In Syria, they're mostly willing to do it. That probably has to do with Syria's ethnic makeup. I assume that much of the army is from Assad's Alawite sect.

Labels: Alawite, Bashar al-Assad, Syrian regime change

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:50 PM