Syrian army defectors kill 27 in clashes

IN one of their deadliest attacks yet, Syrian army defectors killed at least 27 government soldiers and police in clashes in the south, activists said. The escalating political unrest yesterday prompted Canada to become the latest country to urge its citizens to leave Syria.

The fighting took place around daybreak in the southern province of Daraa, where the uprising against President Bashar Assad’s authoritarian regime began in March.

Attacks by army defectors have been escalating in recent weeks, raising concerns the country is headed toward civil war.