Abdel Basset al-Sarout, the former international football player turned insurgent in Homs, explains that the Syrian regime was only able to pacify Homs because of “opposition cowardice” — “The besieged were fought by the entire world”:
See Syria Video Analysis: Does Fall of Homs Mean Assad is Winning?
Sarout indicates that the insurgents finally gave way in Homs because of the lack of food (“the hunger is unbearable”), but says their evacuation is a “victory”:
We are going to eat, see our folks, and exchange our weapons for some weapons. (We are) going to gather the good people who want to do something.
However, he cautions, “Political polarization and splits will kill us all.”
A documentary on Sarout from 2012:
