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    November 16, 2011

Syrian Rebels Attack Damascus Military Base, Form Council

   VOA News
   Syrians wave national flags as they rally in central Damascus in
   support of President Bashar al-Assad's. Meanwhile, Syrian army
   defectors were reported to have attacked a military intelligence base
   in one of the most daring raids in eight months of unrest
   Photo: AFP
   Syrians wave national flags as they rally in central Damascus in
   support of President Bashar al-Assad's. Meanwhile, Syrian army
   defectors were reported to have attacked a military intelligence base
   in one of the most daring raids in eight months of unrest as Arab
   ministers gathered in Rabat to ramp up the pressure on the regime,
   November 16, 2011.

   Syrian opposition activists say army defectors have attacked a
   government base near the capital, Damascus, and formed a rebel council
   in an escalation of an eight-month uprising against the government of
   Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
   The activists say rebels of the Free Syrian Army fired rockets and
   machine guns at an air force intelligence complex in the Damascus
   suburb of Harasta early Wednesday. There was no independent
   confirmation of the rebel attack or information about casualties.
   A Germany-based spokesman for Syria's Local Coordination Committees
   says the Free Syrian Army has established a temporary military council
   whose goal is to weaken the Syrian security forces. Hozan Ibrahim says
   the Syrian rebels announced the formation of the council in a statement
   released late Tuesday. The Free Syrian Army previously had no announced
   central command.
   A group of men claiming to be Syrian army defectors also released a
   video statement Wednesday declaring their desertion from the pro-Assad
   military.
   Syrian army defectors have engaged in increasingly deadly battles with
   government forces in the past week. But those confrontations had been
   concentrated outside the capital, including the northwestern region of
   Idlib, the central region of Homs and southern region of Daraa.
   President Assad faced increased regional isolation Wednesday, as
   foreign ministers from Arab nations and Turkey met in Morocco to
   consider additional sanctions against Syria for refusing to end the
   crackdown. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the gathering
   the Syrian government "will pay a high price." Syria boycotted the
   talks.
   The league voted Saturday to suspend Syria's membership, accusing
   Damascus of failing to implement a deal with the regional bloc to stop
   the violent crackdown on dissent. The suspension was due to take effect
   Wednesday.
   Government loyalists also have staged mass rallies in recent weeks.
   Syrian state television showed thousands of Assad supporters rallying
   in the port of Latakia Wednesday, holding up his picture and denouncing
   the Arab League.
   The United Nations says at least 3,500 people have been killed in
   connection with the Syrian revolt since March. Syria blames much of the
   violence on foreign-backed terrorists and religious extremists.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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References

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