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Syrian Army Defections Reported
(Washington Post) Liz Sly - Syrian troops on Saturday pressed ahead with an effort to regain control over a swath of territory around Jisr al-Shughour in northern Syria that appeared to have fallen out of government control. On Friday tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets again to call for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad. At least 34 people were killed. An eyewitness in Jisr al-Shughour said around 2,000 officers and conscripts had defected from the Syrian army and were fighting alongside residents in the town to repel the assault. "They mutinied because of their orders" to shoot at local civilians, he said.