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Syrian Defector Says Most Bomber Pilots Grounded

(AP-ABC News) Karin Laub - A former Syrian air force general who was also the country's first astronaut said Tuesday that only about one-third of Syria's fighter pilots are carrying out the daily bombing raids of rebel strongholds because the Assad regime cannot count on the loyalty of the rest. Maj. Gen. Mohammed Fares, who defected in August, also said the regime's combat aircraft are aging and running short of spare parts, but that Assad still has hundreds of planes at his disposal. In recent months, the regime has increasingly used makeshift bombs consisting of hundreds of kilos of explosives stuffed into barrels. Fares said the inaccurate barrel bombs are meant to terrify the population, but are also being used because the regime is running out of ordinary bombs.
2012-11-07 00:00:00
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