The deputy police chief of Syria's western Latakia city, a brigadier-general, defected and fled to Turkey overnight with 11 other Syrian officers, a Turkish official said on Monday. The police commander ranks as one of the most senior police officers to quit Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's security apparatus and joins scores of other military officers who have defected and are now in Turkey, according to a report of Reuters. The Turkish official did not name the deputy police commander. There are now more than 20 generals and scores of other officers sheltering in Turkey. Around 600 Syrians also crossed over into Turkey in the last 24 hours bringing the total number of Syrian refugees in Turkey to around 43,500, the official said.
