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People carry pictures of Syrian President Assad and his late father as Syrian military police carry the coffin of a killed soldier HO/AP/Press Association Images
Syria
Syrian army units clash over anti-government protests
Infighting between President Bashar Assad’s troops is said to be a significant development.
WITNESSES IN SYRIA say that there have been clashes between Syrian army units over the crackdown on anti-government protestors in the southern city of Daraa.
The infighting is said to be significant because President Bashar Assad’s army has been seen as a bastion of suport for his regime until now.
A number of witnesses and activists have reported the clashes this week since Assad sent the army into Daraa on Monday.
In a further blow to Assad, more than 200 members have quit Syria’s ruling Baath Party in the southern province at the centre of the uprising.
Meanwhile the United Nation’s security council has failed to agree on a statement condemning the Syrian government for its violent crackdown on protestors., with Russa, India and China failing to condemn the violence outright.
More than 450 people have been killed across Syria in the crackdown.
- Additional reporting by AP
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