BREAKING Syria: Military police chief al-Shalal defects! Declare use of chemical weapons!

The commander of Syria's military police has defected from President Bashar-al Assad's government and reportedly fled to Turkey.

Lt Gen Abulaziz al-Shalal is one of the highest-ranking officials to join the uprising against the Syrian regime.

The army had failed to protect Syrians and turned into "gangs of murder", the general said in a video statement.

The announcement came amid reports of a deadly government strike in the northern province of Raqqa.

After reportedly crossing the border into Turkey, Gen Shalal released a statement saying he had defected because the military had perpetrated massacres in towns and villages instead of protecting Syrians.

Source: bbc