Syrian expats hold pro-Assad rally in Tunisia

Syrian expatriates in Tunisia have staged a demonstration to voice their support for the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Press TV reports. Tunisia-based Syrian expatriates took to the streets near the Tunisian Foreign Ministry in the capital city of Tunis on Saturday to show their solidarity with the government in Damascus and to express their hope of returning to their homeland. “I am confident that we will return home very soon thanks to the efforts made by the Syrian Arab Army and the great people of Syria,” one of the participants in the support rally told Press TV. Politicians in Tunisia have voiced alarm over the return of Tunisian nationals fighting against the Syrian government along with foreign-backed Takfiri militants.

The democratic transition [in Tunisia] is under permanent threat. We cannot hold elections while we fear the return of terrorists. Terror attacks could happen anywhere,” Mongi Rahui, a Tunisian lawmaker, said in an interview with Press TV.

According to extracts from British defense consultancy IHS Jane’s published in the Daily Telegraph last September, some 100,000 militants are operating in Syria. The militants have split into some 1,000 brands since the Syria crisis began three years ago, said the study, which is based on intelligence estimates and interviews with militants. Syria has been the scene of deadly turmoil since March 2011. Recent reports say over 150,000 people have so far died and millions of others displaced because of the foreign-backed violence. President Assad has pledged to strike terror “with an iron fist.”