Syria's Military Is Starting To Show Strains

Strained Syrian Army Calls Up Reserves; Some Flee -- Reuters

* Thousands called up in past two months
* Some deserters feared they will "kill or be killed"

DAMASCUS, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Syria is calling up former soldiers from the reserves to active army service in growing numbers, a sign of the strain of efforts to crush the 17-month-old revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.

Several fleeing reservists and a serving army officer told Reuters that thousands of men had been called up in the past two months to bolster the 300,000 strong army, and many of them are failing to report for duty.

"We have two choices: Stay and kill fellow Syrians, or desert, and be on the run from military courts," said a legal assistant summoned for duty in Damascus. Like others interviewed for this article, he asked not to be identified for security reasons.

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My Comment: Generals have deserted. Politicians and diplomats have defected. It should then not surprise us that conscripted soldiers will want to flee also. These Syrian military call-ups of unreliable conscripts tells me that the Syrian military is starting to show some strains.

On a side note .... the above video shows the aftermath of a Syrian fighter plane crash. It appears that the rebels are becoming very effective in shooting down these planes.