Syrian astronaut supports revolution

Syria's first man in space pledges to back his country's revolution.

General Muhammed Ahmed Faris has joined opposition activists in standing against the Syrian government.

The 61-year-old fled to Turkey 10 days ago.

He said he wanted to defect earlier, but was held under surveillance by the authorities.

SOUNDBITE: MUHAMMED AHMED FARIS, SAYING (Arabic):

"For months I have been seeing the bombardments, they were killing women and children with helicopters and planes, but the moment I said to myself 'enough is enough' was when a fragment from a helicopter hit an eight-month-old toddler and destroyed her hand. I had never seen anything like that before. So for me there were no more crimes to watch. That is why at that moment I told myself enough."

The astronaut is among a number of high-profile figures to leave Syria in recent days, including the prime minister.

He graduated from military school in Aleppo - a city which has seen fierce fighting between rebels and government troops.

New footage has recently emerged from the city.

Activists said the video, which could not be independently verified by Reuters, appeared to show the bodies of a family killed as they tried to flee.

As the conflict continues, the U.N. has warned that as many as 2.5 million people are in need of aid.