The military and security forces, under the command of Assad's cousin,
Zuelhelma Shalish, a senior officer in military intelligence, have arrested
scores of suspected Syrian opposition activists in Dera, with a population
of 100,000. The sources said authorities were preventing civilians from
entering Dera to ensure that the opposition would not be reinforced. One of
those detained was identified as Syrian parliamentarian, Soufok Al Nojrous,
a tribal chief in Dera, about 100 kilometers south of Damascus and near the
border with Jordan.
On March 23, the brigade and other security forces stormed a mosque in
Dera, and the sources said at least six people were killed. Syrian state
television reported four dead and blamed an "armed gang" for the
early-morning violence, Middle East Newsline reported.
The sources said the battalion was accompanied by Russian-origin T-72
main battle tanks and BMP infantry fighting vehicles. They said the armored
units have been deployed in the center of Dera, where clashes have taken place this month.
Anti-regime demonstrations have so far been reported in at last six
Syrian cities. They included Aleppo, Dail, Damascus, Nawa and Qamishli,
where protests sparked a violent response by security forces.
The government has acknowledged rising unrest against Assad. But
officials said most of the protests were organized by foreign elements and
what they termed troublemakers.
"They are foreigners and using such slogans as 'freedom,' " Syrian
parliamentarian Khaled Al Aboud, a regime supporter, said.
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