Syrian army defectors go on the attack

Syrian army defectors have launched their first attack in the eight-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. It is reported they have struck a major security facility.

The news comes after more than 70 people were killed in yet more clashes between Syrian security forces and protesters.

Meanwhile Turkey has increased its pressure on the Assad regime with talk of cutting power supplies.

Once keen to cultivate ties with President Assad, Turkey’s leadership now opposes his crackdown on dissent.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told parliament: “I want to remind him that the future cannot be built on the blood of the oppressed; history will mark these leaders as the leaders who feed on blood.”

Now Russia, one of Syria’s last few foreign friends, has hosted talks with members of the Syrian National Council in Moscow. They urged dialogue with Assad while, for their part, the opposition pressed the Kremlin to call for the president to quit.

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