THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: In a safe house reached with the help of guides signalling a route through the warren of darkened streets, a clutch of Syrian army defectors plots the downfall of a feared regime.
The city of Homs is a virtual ghost town. Its medieval fort has been transformed into a garrison and checkpoints have been established around the city.
But in its back alleys groups of armed men have formed units to defend the population from the military onslaught.
Some are local revolutionaries, known as thwarr, who have joined the protests against President Bashar al-Assad that have convulsed the country for six months. Others are defectors from the armed forces who have now turned their guns on their former comrades.
The seven deserters at the safe house proudly display stolen weapons, including rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns and grenades.
One, a 19-year old conscript, had been shooting at protesters a week beforehand. "The [secret] security would stand behind us and make us shoot," he says. » | Hussein al-Haqq in Homs | Sunday, October 16, 2011
