The formation of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) — a group that appears to consist of mainly mid- to low-ranking Sunni soldiers who defected from the Syrian army — was announced via video in late July. The proclaimed goal of the FSA is to protect Syrian civilians and bring down the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad. In early October, the FSA began to claim responsibility for military-style operations against armored vehicles, checkpoints and blockades manned by Syrian forces and Shabiha — a plainclothes pro-regime militia. The leader of the FSA, Col. Riad al-Asaad, released a video Oct. 12 announcing the locations of 22 FSA "battalions." The actual size of the battalions and their specific locations within the respective cities are unknown, but Riad al-Asaad said the FSA comprises roughly 15,000 soldiers. The FSA claims roughly two to four attacks on targets manned or operated by Syrian forces each day using weapons with which they claimed to have defected, including rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns, rifles and improvised explosive devices. The claimed locations of the FSA battalions largely correspond with the anti-regime protest locations reported by various opposition groups both inside and outside Syria. Although most reports are accompanied by video of the protest, it is impossible to independently verify that the demonstration took place at the purported time and location. The cities with frequently reported demonstrations see multiple protests daily, each attracting an estimated average of 200 protesters. The cities with fewer reported demonstrations see protests less frequently — once per day or every other day — and attract fewer people, estimated at 50 to 100 each. Downtown Damascus and Aleppo (excluding the suburbs) have remained largely untouched by anti-regime demonstrations. These are regarded as the strongholds of the regime and are protected by a strong Syrian security presence. The Syrian regime has so far been able to manage the anti-regime protests scattered across Syria by increasing the presence of Syrian forces and Shabiha in the restive cities and violently cracking down on protesters to shut down the demonstration quickly, but, nine months into the conflict, the protests have not yet shown signs of slowing.
