Syria's top army defector tells The Telegraph: Assad's forces will fall this month

[Chris]

Syria's top army defector tells The Telegraph: Assad's forces will fall this month
General Mustafa al-Sheikh, who has sought refuge in Turkey, tells the newspaper that the Syrian army is low on combat readiness, and that some elements are reaching out to defect.
By Haaretz and Reuters

Syria's most senior army defector, General Mustafa al-Sheikh, believes that President Bashar Assad's military will collapse within days or weeks, according to an interview published Sunday in The Telegraph. "The army will collapse during February," The Telegraph quoted al-Sheikh, who has sought refuge in Turkey, as saying. "The reasons are the shortage of Syrian army personnel, which even before March 15 last year did not exceed 65 per cent. The proportion of equipment that was combat ready did not exceed that, due to a shortage of spare parts.

"The Syrian army combat readiness I would put at 40 per cent for hardware and 32 per cent for personnel," he added, according to The Telegraph. "They are sending in elements from the Shabiha (militia) and the Alawite sect to compensate, but this army is unable to continue more than a month. Some elements of the army are reaching out to the FSA to help them to defect."

more.................Syria's top army defector tells The Telegraph: Assad's forces will fall this month - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

[anath]

There is another side to this equation. This Security Council veto from Russia and China has no doubt emboldened Assad and perhaps given him a nod to continue his assaults on his people. It may get worse but we will see.

Update......Russia and China are continuing their support for Assad

[ray neukirch]

China and Russia are both huge arms dealers and don't want a good customer to go away. Greed and power, as usual, are most likely behind the way they voted at the UN.

[anath]

Also, Russia has a strategic interest of national security in Syria. It has always been Russia's dream to have a deep water, warm water port they can use year round.Assad has offered the Russians access to its port at Tartous, on the Mediterranean. Russia fears that a change of regime in Syria would mean the loss of the Syrian port.