Six senior Syrian officers 'defect to Turkey' A government official, however, said the group included three colonels and there was no general among them. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, did not know the overall number of defectors and the two accounts could not immediately be reconciled. Anadolu said the group of defectors was placed in a refugee camp in Hatay, a province bordering Syria but there was no further information. Turkey is hosting some 33,000 Syrians who have crossed into Turkey to find refuge from the 15-months old violence. Thousands of soldiers have abandoned the Syrian regime, but most are low-level conscripts. The Free Syria Army - the loosely linked group of rebel forces - is made up largely of defectors. Defectors affiliated with the Free Syrian Army and based in Turkey are known to collect food and other supplies to deliver to comrades on smuggling routes. The government official said another group of some 60 army defectors had also crossed into Turkey recently.