A senior military officer in the Syrian city of Hama has defected along with up to 50 of his soldiers, in protest against the government's ten-month crackdown on peaceful demonstrations that has claimed thousands of lives across the country.<br /><br />Colonel Afeef Mahmoud Suleiman, who is from the air force logistics division, announced his defection live on Al Jazeera's Arabic news channel on Saturday.<br /><br />Suleiman said he and his men had taken on a new mission to keep protesters in Hama safe during demonstrations.<br /><br />Caroline Malone reports.
