The following are excerpts from a statement by defected Syrian officer Abd Al-Razzaq Muhammad Tlas, which aired on Al-Jazeera Network on June 6, 2011:
Abd Al-Razzaq Muhammad Tlas: "I am First Lieutenant Abd Al-Razzaq Muhammad Tlas, from the Fifth Division, 15th Brigade, Battalion 825. This is my ID card with my picture. Abd Al-Razzaq Muhammad Tlas from Rastan, near Homs.
"I joined the armed forces in order to defend the people. We are called 'defenders of the homeland,' and we are meant to defend the people from the Israeli enemy.
"After the things I have seen – the crimes committed in Der'a and all over Syria – I can no longer be a part of the Arab Syrian army, in light of what the army is doing in Der'a and elsewhere.
[…]
"I am asking the army: Where are you? Is the role of the army to steal and to protect the Assad clan? Is the role of the army to steal and deceive, and to defend the regime against people who want to be free and to topple it?! Where is the army?! Where are the people of Rastan?! The honor of the women of Rastan is being violated. The town is being demolished by cannons, mortars, and tanks.
"Oh honorable officers of Rastan, your town is being destroyed. Where are the officers of Dmeir, of Qseir, of Idlib, of Umm Hassan, of Deir Al-Zor? I call upon all the honorable officers to make sure that their soldiers know what's really going on.
"Follow your conscience. You did not join the army to protect the Assad clan. If you are an honorable officer, remain honorable, and if you are not honorable, stand by the Assad clan." […]
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