NEWS FLASH

Amb. Ford Warns Of Civil War As Syrian Activists Take Up Arms | U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford warns that Syrian President Bashar Assad is facing the possibility of an armed sectarian rebellion as Syria’s protest movement drags into its sixth month. “One of the things we’ve told the opposition is that they should not think we are going to treat Syria the same way we treated Libya,” he warned, urging protesters to figure out their own ways to shift support away from the regime. Ford’s comments come as Syrian protesters are increasingly taking up arms to fight Assad’s military crackdown and a growing number of army officers defect to the opposition. The Syrian military has used tanks, snipers, and gunmen to suppress protests, but some experts are expressing concern that if the peaceful protests turn into a violent insurgency, the Syrian government may ratchet up its use of deadly force. More than 2,700 demonstrators have been killed by Assad’s forces since protests began in March.