Activists report clashes between Syrian army units

A witness and human rights groups say there have been clashes between Syrian army units over the crackdown on anti-government protesters in the southern city of Daraa.

Ausama Monajed, a spokesman for a group of opposition figures in Syria and abroad, said Thursday that his group has received reports of the clashes this week since President Bashar Assad sent the army into Daraa on Monday. The deployment was a clear escalation in his crackdown on the uprising.

The reports were corroborated by two witnesses and an activist who spoke to The Associated Press. They both asked that their names not be used for fear of reprisals.

The infighting is significant because Assad's army has been seen as a bastion of support for the regime.