Syrian tribal leader: I praised #Assad at gunpoint

Syrian tribal leader: I praised Assad at gunpoint

Clip from article: ISTANBUL — A Syrian tribal leader apologized on Tuesday for backing President Bashar al-Assad on state television, saying a gun was being pointed at his head while he made the broadcast last year. Sheikh Nawaf al-Bashir, who has since fled to Turkey, said he in fact wanted the overthrow of the Syrian government which has cracked down violently on anti-Assad protesters.

Bashir, who heads the main Baqqara tribe in rebellious Deir al-Zor province, disowned his comments supporting the Syrian government made under duress in October after a spell in jail.

"I apologize to the Syrian people for the words I have said. I now declare that we want nothing but to topple the regime," he told a news conference in Istanbul. [ read more at link]