Clashes ongoing in Syria, dozens of Syrian army deserters shot dead

Clashes continued between the army and dissidents Monday in Syria, mainly in Idlib and its suburbs and Homs and its suburbs, killing many from both sides.            

SANA reported on Monday that an explosive device was detonated on a railway west of Talkalakh, disrupting its activities. Other facilities in Kossayr were vandalized, the state-run agency added.                         

Furthermore, dozens of Syrian army deserters were shot dead on Monday as they tried to flee their base and defect to join the nine-month revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.           

The British-based group, citing witnesses who survived the attack, said Syrian forces attacked the defectors with machinegun fire. One of the survivors said some 60 to 70 deserters were killed.       

Huge crowds gathered at Sabaa Bahrat Square in Damascus in support of the independent national decision, Assad’s comprehensive reform program and in rejection of foreign interference in Syria's internal affairs, SANA reported.                 

Amid the crowds, big Russian, Chinese and Iranian flags were held high on one of the buildings, and some participants brandished Hezbollah flags.