High-ranking general defects from Syrian military
By Joe Sterling and Elise Labott, CNN
July 6, 2012 -- Updated 1435 GMT (2235 HKT)
Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlas, right in an undated photo with Bashar al-Assad, has been a key member of the Syrian president's regime.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: The Tlas family knows "how the place is wired," a Syria expert says
- Tlas' father is a former Syrian defense minister
- Manaf Tlas was perhaps the most senior Sunni in Bashar al-Assad's regime, scholar says
- He was disgusted with the killing of Sunnis, a Western official says
(CNN) -- A key member of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's
"inner circle"
has defected, Western officials said, a stunning blow to the embattled regime.
He is Brig. Gen. Manaf
Tlas, a Republican Guard military commander, the son of a former defense
minister and possibly the most senior Sunni in a power structure
dominated by the Alawite minority.
"He's an inside confidant
of Assad. So it counts that even an insider thinks it's time to go,"
said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Syria has been engulfed
in nearly 16 months of unrest resulting in thousands of deaths. The
defection comes as government assaults against protesters led to a
nationwide uprising.
Tlas has been estranged
from the regime over the killing of Sunnis, the official said. His
father, former Defense Minister Mustafa Tlas, and the rest of his family
are in Paris, the official said.
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Reports of Tlas'
defection first surfaced Thursday. Western officials are saying he is on
his way to Paris. It is not known whether he has joined the opposition.
"It's by far the biggest
defection. ... This is a good-sized step in the right direction," said
Andrew Tabler, Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East
Policy. The Tlas family knows "how the place is wired," he said.
Rafif Jouejati,
spokeswoman for the opposition Local Coordination Committees of Syria,
called the development "quite significant."
"It signals that the
domino effect of defections is speeding up as longtime regime supporters
and collaborators realize that Assad's ship is sinking fast. Expect
more defections in the coming days as the regime accelerates its
scorched-earth policy in a desperate attempt to destroy as much as
possible before falling apart," she told CNN.
Jeffrey White, a defense fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, called the development "an important event."
"He was the commander of
an important regime protection unit, a component of the Republican
Guard Division, whose main responsibility in the current conflict has
been the defense of Damascus. His defection raises questions about the
cohesion of his brigade and division."
White recently wrote an
essay describing the mounting pressures on the Syrian military,
including the growing opposition clout and defections. He told CNN on
Friday that the "defection process is accelerating somewhat and that we
are getting more reports of higher-ranking officers leaving."
White said Tlas'
defection reflects two important trends. One is that many of the
higher-ranking defectors are staff officers and medical officers. Tlas,
in contrast, is from a combat unit.
"If we start seeing more defections from the higher ranks of combat units that will be significant," White said.
The move also might indicate that the regime "cannot count on the Sunnis it has so far kept in the fold."
"It will create
suspicions within the regime about 'loyalist' Sunnis and 'loyalist'
Sunnis will be wondering what the regime has in store for them. Some
will likely split, if they can find a safe path for themselves and their
families. Manaf's defection will undoubtedly heighten the awareness of
the regime's security personnel."
Joshua Landis, a Syria expert at the University of Oklahoma, said Thursday in a post on his
blog Syria Comment that if Tlas has indeed fled the country, "the regime will be thrown back on its heels."
Tlas "was a close
confidant of Bashar from his earliest days and part of his inner
circle," Landis said. And he "supported a policy of negotiation,
flexibility and compromise" but "was overruled by the military
leadership and has since looked for a way out."
For example, Tlas had been ordered to solve problems in the restive Damascus suburban towns of Harasta and Douma, Landis said.
"He did a good job by
negotiating with the opposition leaders in both suburbs, agreeing that
both government forces and opposition would pull back," Landis said.
But, Landis said, the
"Alawi leadership said 'no, that is not how we are going to do this.'
They pushed him aside and came down like a ton of bricks on the
opposition in both neighborhoods, in an effort to assert state authority
and crush the uprising through military means."
Tlas is "perhaps the most senior Sunni in the regime because he was a close friend of Bashar," Landis wrote.
"For 16 months the
opposition has been complaining that elite Sunnis have not defected.
That complaint can now, officially, be put to rest if the stories of
Manaf's flight prove to be true. In March it was rumored that he had led
with his father and brother, but those stories were false," he wrote.
Tlas exudes charisma, and Landis describes him as "smart, dashing and cunning."
"Manaf is as handsome as
a movie star and carried a lot of authority. He was a true military guy
and had spent his entire life in the military, unlike Bashar. People
close to him say that when he walked into a room, all eyes turned to
him. Not only did women find him attractive, but men did as well. He
carried himself with an air of self-confidence and authority," Landis
said.
The Tlas family has been part of the Syrian power structure during the tenure of Bashar and his father, Hafez Assad.
"When foreign statesmen
or Syrians thought of a Sunni who could possibly take power, Manaf had
to be at the top of the list or very close to the top," he said. "Manaf
is respected by Bashar's generation and a military leader."
There has been a lot of
buzz about the development on the streets of Damascus and the pages of
Facebook. One man wrote it's important because the Tlas family wasn't
just pro-regime, "they are the regime."
Another activist said, "You idiots, defect before it's too late. Tlas saved himself at the very last moment."
While opposition voices welcome the move, they voiced suspicion and scorn.
"Should we work with
him? No, never," said one. Another said, "(H)e and his father and
brother should return the money they stole from the Syrian people
first."
This comment is an
apparent reference to Manaf Tlas' brother Firas, a businessman. Firas
Tlas has been in favor of reform in Syria. He told reporters in 2005
there was a "huge expectation" from Syrians of economic change.
Having
given their approval, the International Football Association Board
(IFAB), responsible for the laws of the game, and football’s governing
body FIFA insisted that any further forms of technology would not be
considered.
