Syrian army units clash

Associated Press

BEIRUT

Syrian army units have clashed with one another over following President Bashar Assad’s orders to crack down on protesters in Daraa, a besieged city at the heart of the uprising, witnesses and human-rights groups said Thursday.

More than 450 people have been killed across Syria — about 100 in Daraa alone — and hundreds detained since the popular revolt against Assad began in mid-March, according to human-rights groups.

Though the troops’ infighting in Daraa does not indicate any decisive splits in the military, it is significant because Assad’s army always has been the regime’s fiercest defender.