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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Full Focus Editor's choice A selection of our top photos from the past 24 hours. Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Dish wins Blockbuster auction for $320 million 11:26am EDT Ouattara forces attack Gbagbo bunker in Ivory Coast | 10:29am EDT Richard Branson unveils deep-sea submarine plans 5:49am EDT UPDATE 2-Cisco chief vows to restore "flawed" company 05 Apr 2011 Japan focuses on hydrogen buildup after nuclear leak | 11:14am EDT Discussed 107 U.S. to reach debt limit by May 16: Geithner 70 Stumbling blocks remain in budget fight 65 US Republican budget plan would cut $5.8 trln in 10 yrs Watched Robotic bird takes flight into the future Mon, Apr 4 2011 Cisco's mea culpa Tue, Apr 5 2011 Giant touch-screen shows size matters Thu, Mar 31 2011 Assad holds Syria army despite Sunni-Alawite divide Tweet Share this By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - Senior Syrian army ranks are packed with loyal members of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority, reducing any prospect of military pressure on him to stand aside if protests grow, military experts... Email Print Factbox Syria's military: What does Assad have? 11:00am EDT Analysis & Opinion Coups in Thailand: Never say never… The World Bank should work with the private sector Related Topics World » Syria » Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (C) attends a dinner in honor of the army officers on the 65th Army Foundation anniversary in Damascus August 1, 2010. On left is Syrian Defense Minister General Ali Habib and on right, Chief of Staff General Dawoud Rajha. Credit: Reuters/Sana By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN | Wed Apr 6, 2011 11:01am EDT AMMAN (Reuters) - Senior Syrian army ranks are packed with loyal members of President Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority, reducing any prospect of military pressure on him to stand aside if protests grow, military experts say. Unlike the armies in Tunisia and Egypt, whose refusal to confront non-violent demonstrations spelt the demise of their autocratic rulers, the fate of many senior Syrian military officers is closely tied to that of Assad. Although some officers from the Sunni Muslim majority have been promoted to senior ranks, Sunni influence has been weakened and Assad's brother Maher controls key military units packed with Alawite soldiers. "It will take an extraordinary amount of people power to defeat a regime this deeply entrenched. This is not Tunisia," said W. Andrew Terrill, research professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Army War college. "The regime has been careful about placing Alawite loyalists in all key positions within the military so that the regime can defeat any effort to overthrow it. Some Sunni officers have risen to very high ranks but have very little power to command troops," Terrill said from Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The Assad family which has ruled Syria for 41 years comes from the Alawite mountains overlooking the Mediterranean, a stronghold of the secretive sect with links to Shi'ite Islam. Assad, who faces the greatest threat to his rule from more than two weeks of protests calling for an end to emergency law and one-party rule, has responded with a blend of force -- his security forces have killed dozens of protesters -- and vague promises of reform. SECURITY BACKBONE Residents of Deraa, cradle of the Syrian protests, say Alawite forces commanded by Assad's younger brother Maher have taken up positions around the southern city. Maher controls the Presidential Guard, the Republican Guard, and the Fourth Armoured Division -- key units that form the security backbone of the state together with the Alawite-dominated secret police. "Some observers consider Maher al-Assad to be excessively violent and emotionally volatile. It appears that President Assad views his brother as totally trustworthy," said Terrill, a specialist in Syrian military affairs. Although family ties ensure the loyalty of the top brass, Assad cannot antagonize the army rank-and-file with a repeat of the 1982 crackdown on the city of Hama, when his father Hafez al-Assad sent commandos, paratroopers and Baath Party irregulars to put down an armed uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood. Hafez al-Assad's brother Rifaat personally managed the Hama operation, in which tens of thousands were killed and parts of the city flattened. "Syria 2011 is not Syria 1982. You have hundreds of thousands of soldiers -- conscripts and professional soldiers -- who have seen only corruption and abuse of position by their Alawite commanders," said a former Syrian army member. "It will be very dangerous for Bashar to play this game. "The army will not ask Bashar to step down, as was the case in Egypt and Tunisia, but he cannot easily ask the army to commit massacres either," the ex-soldier said. 1 2 Next World Syria Tweet this Share this Link this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. 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