DHAKA: Former Syrian defence minister General Ali Habib, a prominent member of president Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect, has defected and is now in Turkey.

A senior member of the opposition Syrian National Coalition told media on Wednesday, reports The Jerusalem Post.

‘Ali Habib has managed to escape from the grip of the regime and he is now in Turkey, but this does not mean that he has joined the opposition. I was told this by a Western diplomatic official,’ Kamal al-Labwani said from Paris.

If his defection is confirmed, Habib would be the highest ranking Alawite figure to break with Assad since the uprising against his rule began in 2011.

BDST: 2049 HRS, SEPT 04, 2013
RoR/SRS