A handout photograph distributed by Syria's national news agency SANA on May 22,2013, show detained men, blindfolded and handcuffed, described by SANA as "terrorists fighters", a term commonly used to describe rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad, in Qusair, near Homs.    SANA/Handout via Reuters

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Syrian tanks amass near Turkish border: FSA general

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ANTAKYA, Turkey | Thu Jun 28, 2012 7:07pm EDT

ANTAKYA, Turkey (Reuters) - A general in the rebel Free Syria Army said on Friday that Syrian government forces had amassed around 170 tanks north of the city Aleppo, near the Turkish border, but there was no independent confirmation of the report.

General Mustafa al-Sheikh, head of the Higher Military Council, an association of senior officers who defected from President Bashar al-Assads forces, said the tanks had assembled at the Infantry School near the village of Musalmieh northeast of the city of Aleppo, 30 kms (19 miles) from the Turkish border.

"The tanks are now at the Infantry School. They're either preparing to move to the border to counter the Turkish deployment or attack the rebellious (Syrian) towns and villages in and around the border zone north of Aleppo," Sheikh told Reuters by telephone from the border.

He said the tanks were mostly from the 17th Mechanised Division.

Turkey deployed air defense weaponry along its border with Syria on Thursday, following Syria's downing of a Turkish warplane over the Mediterranean on Friday.

(Reporting by Khaled Yacoub Oweis, Amman newsroom; Editing by Ralph Boulton)

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Comments (1)
biggerbrother wrote:
Assad is said to have 500 000 soldiers. What Assad receives 500 000 soldiers? Alawi is only 2.2 million.

Sunni is 16.3 million. Syria has a population of 22.2 million.

When the Free Syrian Army gets more and more success in the Syrian army’s Sunnis will turn their weapons Alawi commanders received. Assad, the game is over.

Assad’s power struggle is lost because the Sunnis do not fight, but change to the Sunni side. These news all the time.

News say that the attack on Assad collects 170 tanks. I wonder if these tanks manned by Sunni or Alawi.

Free Syrian Army to win this. It is quite certain. Assad will need the help of Russia and the Iranian army. Geographically, Russia and Iran can not get troops to the scene. Between Iran and Syria is Iraq. Between Russia and Syria is Turkey.

Jun 28, 2012 8:19pm EDT  --  Report as abuse
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