Dozens of Syrian Officers defect to Turkey

Dozens of Syrian Officers Have Reportedly Defected to Turkey

Less than a day after being accused of war crimes by the U.S. government, Syria's military got some more bad news as it seems dozens of high-ranking officers have taken their families and fled the country. Turkish media reports that 73 officers, including seven generals, have crossed the border…

The Atlantic Wire

Dozens of Syrian Officers Have Reportedly Defected to Turkey

By Dashiell Bennett | The Atlantic Wire – 12 hrs ago

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Less than a day after being accused of war crimes by the U.S. government, Syria's military got some more bad news as it seems dozens of high-ranking officers have taken their families and fled the country. Turkish media reports that 73 officers, including seven generals, have crossed the border with their families and have requested refuge. In all 202, people made the escape on Friday. 

RELATED: Is a Top Syrian Defector Hiding in the United States?
In truth, the mass defection is probably unrelated to the news that the Americans are planning to get more involved in their war. (You don't pull off something like this overnight.) However, the timing could not be much worse for the regime. After a week when it seemed like the whole war was turning in their favor, with major strategic victories on the ground, ugly charges leveled at their opponents, and a peace movement in chaos, suddenly it's the Assad army that is reeling and facing the prospect of international intervention.
RELATED: Syria's Top London Diplomat Has Finally Had It
As the world nervously waits to see what exactly the United States is willing to do, the news of the defections will certainly give the opposition new hope. The trick now is to turn that hope into victories.

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Dozens of Syrian Officers Have Reportedly Defected to Turkey

This actually makes a lot of sense. Now that Chemical weapons have been proven to the U.S., Britain and Likely France, Syrian officers would be subject to war Crimes trials. Since officers usually are educated with a Bachelor's degree or more they would know this too.  So likely now many more will defect so they won't either be put in prison or executed for War Crimes (especially chemical weapons) by an International War Crimes Tribunal sometime in the future. 

If you study World War II or the more recent Balkan War and others you can study how officers and soldiers are captured, convicted of war crimes and often either serve time or are executed by an International War Crimes Tribunal. Or sometimes war criminals are just hunted down and shot by interested parties.