Syria's Defected Military Police Chief in Turkey
A Syrian military police chief who defected from the regime of President Bashar Assad is in Turkey, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported on Wednesday.
General Abdel Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, commander of the Syrian military police, crossed into Turkey on Wednesday via the Cilvegozu border crossing in the town of Reyhanli, Anatolia said.
Turkish government officials were not immediately available to confirm the report.
Anatolia said there was no information on where the defector and his family were taken to.
Shallal announced his defection from Assad's regime, accusing the army of having turned into "murderous gangs," in a video posted online and circulated by opposition activists on Wednesday.
"I, General Abdel Aziz Jassem al-Shallal, commander of Syrian military police, announce that I am defecting from the regime army, to join the people's revolution," he said.
Shallal, whose functions are limited to disciplining soldiers, is not a well-known figure.
Source: Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/66019 |