Conflicting reports on withdrawal of Syrian military from cities as death toll mounts
The Syrian opposition denied the reports about withdrawing troops and military vehicles from the Syrian cities, Al Arabiya reported on Tuesday.
Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Araby said on Monday that Syria’s military had now withdrawn from residential areas and was on the outskirts of the cities, but gunfire continued and snipers were still a threat.
Syrian activists published footage on the social networks showing an Arab observer saying that the Syrian military is still spreading in the cities and that snipers are still on the building roofs.
...
The government has long contended that the turmoil in Syria this year is not an uprising by reform-seekers but the work of terrorists and foreign-backed armed gangs — a contention most international observers dismiss as an attempt by an autocratic regime to terrify its citizens into abandoning the revolt.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/01/03/186049.html