The army's loyalty, too, may no longer be certain. One unit of the elite 4th Armoured Division has reportedly refused deployment in Muazzamiyah, a suburb of Damascus. The army and the regime's armed security forces lack the manpower to occupy major cities for a long time. Soon, they could face problems of rotation. In any case, this is an army of recruits who may end up sympathising with protesters they are ordered to kill. In Banias people are offering flowers and sweets to soldiers and asking why should recruits kill their people for a distant despot?