Syrian opposition: General, 20 others defect

Syrian activists said army logistics chief General Mohammed Khalluf and his son defected to Jordan Saturday. A YouTube video posted on the Internet shows a man with white hair in civilian clothes getting into a car and an offscreen narrator naming him. In another weekend incident, activists said about 20 soldiers also defected – signs the rebels may be gaining ground in the two-year civil war. Syrian state television has not addressed these claims. Although defections may have slowed down, a study by the Institute for Strategic Studies said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army could now be down to as little as 50,000 (largely from elite troops) from an estimated 300,000 soldiers before the war began. An estimated 70,000 civilians are believed killed in a little more than two years.

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