By IANS/AKI,
Rome: At least 50 Syrian soldiers have deserted the army and joined rebel forces, Syrian activists said.
A colonel was among the deserters who joined the rebels near the city of Qamishli in northeast Syria, amid raging battles in the area, Syria’s Local Coordinating Committees opposition group said on its Facebook page.
Fighters from the jihadist Al-Nusra Front — branded a terror group by the US State Department — are involved in clashes with forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad around Qamlishi, according to Britain-based activist group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Network for Human Rights emailed to the media a video showing the bodies of five adults and six children. The group said they were killed in a “massacre” in Khirbat Altin village in Homs province.