Syria denies army defections; nine people reported killed

Jun 24, 2011, 15:02 GMT

Cairo/Istanbul - Syrian state television on Friday quoted a government source as denying reports of defections by the army, as activists reported that at least nine more people killed in an ongoing crackdown on protests.

According to broadcaster al-Arabiya and activist groups, members of the army's first division in the suburb of Kiswa in Damascus had defected.

But an unnamed government official told state television that the reports were 'baseless' and that the division was not deployed in the city.

After al-Arabiya reported the defection, the online Local Coordination Committees of Syria group reported that there was 'firing between security forces and soldiers from the first division in the army in Kiswa.'

Several members of the army have announced their defections over the past two weeks, either in videos posted online, or interviews with regional media. They said they took the decision after their superiors asked them to open fire on civilians.

Undeterred by the presence of armed forces, thousands again took to the streets across the country on Friday to protest against President Bashar al-Assad.

At least six people were killed near Damascus when security forces fired live ammunition at the protesters, activists said online.

Three protesters were killed in the central city of Homs, the Syria Revolution Facebook group reported.

Four people were injured when troops opened fire in the Kiswa, according to activists who have been monitoring the protests and compiling lists of those killed.

The protests after Friday prayers have become a weekly occurrence across Syria since March.

Thousands rallied in the northern province of Idlib, where several towns were besieged by troops. Gunshots were reportedly heard Homs, while more than 15 protesters were arrested near the Amnah mosque, in the northern city of Aleppo.

According to the online Local Coordination Committees of Syria, internet and mobile phone networks in the Damascus suburbs of Douma and Harasta were cut.

Human rights group say that more than 1,300 civilians have been killed and 10,000 detained since the protests began.

The government crackdown has led to an exodus to Turkey.

More than 1,500 Syrians crossed the border on Thursday, bringing the total number of displaced Syrians there to 11,739, Turkey's semi-official Anatolia Agency reported Friday.

'We do not see them as a group of refugees but as guests,' Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said, according to the report.

'Whenever they decide to end their stay, we will put forth every effort to help them return to their homes in peace,' he said.

'Turkey has exerted great efforts to bring about the fulfillment of reforms and the rightful demands of the Syrian people. Contact with Syria has never been interrupted,' Davutoglu said.