קולונל ריאד אל אסד שהוא הקצין הבכיר ביותר שערק מהצבא אל המורדים פועל מתוך טורקיה.

Syrian rebel commander takes refuge in Turkey OCTOBER 4, 2011 ⋅ 3:56 PM ⋅ POST A COMMENT FILED UNDER OPPOSITION, SYRIA, TURKEY The highest-ranking officer to defect from Syria’s armed forces said on Tuesday he had taken refuge in Turkey, denying claims that he had been arrested when Syrian troops overran a rebel stronghold, state-run Anatolian news agency said. “We live in a safe place in Turkey, I am grateful to the government and people of Turkey. Turkish officials cared about us,” Colonel Riad al-Asaad said in an interview datelined Hatay in southern Turkey.

למי שעדיין לא הפנים,הסכסוך השיעי-סוני בעיצומו.