Army defectors attack Syria security complex

AMMAN, Jordan?? Syrian army defectors attacked an intelligence complex on the edge of Damascus early on Wednesday, the first such reported assault on a major security facility in the eight-month uprising against President Bashar Assad, activists said.

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Members of the Free Syrian Army fired shoulder-mounted rockets and machine guns at a large Air Force Intelligence complex situated on the northern edge of the capital at about 2.30 a.m. local time (7.30 p.m. Tuesday ET), it said in a statement.

The renegade group said the other attacks targeted military checkpoints in the Damascus suburbs of Douma, Qaboun and Arabeen and Saqba.

The claim of the attacks could not be independently confirmed and the Free Syrian Army released no details about the fighting or possible casualties.

Attacks near Damascus are rare, and clashes between defectors and troops have in the past been concentrated in the northwestern province of Idlib and central region of Homs and the southern province of Daraa.

The attacks are the latest sign of growing pressure on Assad both within Syria and from other countries, including the U.S.

Syria said it would boycott a Wednesday Arab League meeting following the body's decision to suspend Damascus from the organization.

'Strong stance'
The White House welcomed Turkey's announcement that it was considering economic sanctions against its former ally Syria, including shutting off cross-border electricity supplies.

"We very much welcome the strong stance that Turkey has taken and believe it sends a critical message to President Assad that he cannot crack down and oppress the aspirations of his people," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama.

"Frankly, we think it reinforces the fact that he should step down, because that is in the best interests of the Syrian people," Rhodes told reporters as Obama flew toward Australia on an Asian tour .

With armed resistance mounting against Assad's rule, alongside mostly peaceful protests, hundreds of Syrians have been killed this month in one of the bloodiest periods of the revolt, inspired by uprisings which have overthrown leaders in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

A senior Saudi prince told an audience in Washington, D.C., late on Tuesday that President Assad's refusal to halt violence against his own people has made his departure from power inevitable.

Story: Scores die in clashes between deserters and troops loyal to Syrian regime

Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former chief of Saudi intelligence services and a former ambassador to Washington and London, said: "Inevitably, I think, the lack of response of Mr. Assad to all the efforts made to end the fighting in Syria means that he's taken the view of not accepting these matters.

"In that context, there will be growing popular opposition to him, and killing every day. I think it's inevitable that he will have to step down in one form or another."

The meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Rabat, Morocco, comes four days after they decided to discipline Syria for pursuing a crackdown on opposition instead of implementing an Arab peace initiative.

The Arab League has stopped short of calling for Assad's departure or proposing any Libya-style military intervention.

Video: Syrian authorities seize weapons (on this page)

Morocco's foreign minister said "Syrian colleagues" were welcome at the meeting but did not say if Syria's foreign minister could attend.

Syrian soldiers killed at least six civilians on Tuesday, shooting from roadblocks in the northwestern province of Idlib and in raids on the central city of Homs and its environs, activists said. Several deaths also were reported in fighting between army defectors and loyalist forces on both sides.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bodies of three young activists who were killed in custody were delivered to their families on Tuesday, including 23-year-old Osama al-Sheikh Youssef.

"The family collected the body from Tishreen Military Hospital on the condition of a quiet burial. Security police in plainclothes stood on top of Osama watching as we lowered him into the ground," an activist who attended the funeral said.

Syrian authorities have banned most independent media. They blame the unrest on "armed terrorist gangs" and foreign-backed militants whom they say have killed 1,100 soldiers and police. The United Nations say the crackdown has killed 3,500.

Christian minority
An Arab official, who did not want to be named, said insurgent attacks on loyalist forces rose sharply in the last 10 days, although the army remains largely cohesive.

Unlike more homogeneous Arab countries, Syria is a majority Muslim country ruled by an elite from Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam who dominate the state, the military and the security apparatus underpinning the power structure.

The country of 20 million has one million ethnic Kurds and an established Christian minority, as well as Alawites, Druze, and Ismailis.

Video: Armed attacks in Syria growing (on this page)

Wary of repercussions if Assad were to fall, and taking into account Syria's geopolitical position at the faultlines of Middle East conflicts, Arab officials have been hesitant to criticize Assad directly or call for fundamental political change in Syria.

The league, however, voted to suspend Syria's membership from Wednesday, and asked Syrian opposition groups to draw up plans for a transition of power, as a prelude to a wider gathering on Syria's future planned by the Cairo-based body.

Arab ostracism is a particularly bitter blow for Assad, who has always seen himself as a champion of Arab unity. Damascus says it is committed to the Arab peace initiative, which calls for a ceasefire and dialogue with the opposition.

However, Russia, one of Syria's last few foreign friends, last month joined China to block a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have condemned Assad's crackdown, and has accused the West of discouraging dialogue in Syria.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45319135/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/

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