BRUTAL

Syrian Defector Describes Atrocities

Forced to shoot and torture protesters.

A Syrian who was deployed to be a foot soldier for President Bashar al-Assad’s regime said the military’s brutal practices forced him to defect. Ammar Cheikh Omar, 29, told The New York Times he felt proud to be serving the government when he was first deployed, claiming he and other soldiers were initially told their duty was to defend the country against Israel. As soon as the revolution erupted, they were told protesters were “terrorists” and were forced to shoot and torture innocent people. The soldiers were denied access to cellphones, nonstate TV, and the Internet, and breaking the rules resulted in up to two months in jail. Human-rights groups estimate that he is one of 5,000 defectors, though it remains difficult to confirm exact numbers as many of them remain in hiding, fearing for their safety.