The World Tribune newspaper quoted government sources as as saying that the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had issued an order to stop all military exercises during the summer. The Syrian leader adopted this decision following the spreadof a large number diarrhea cases among soldiers within military camps.
The paper added that the government attributes this to be a major financial crisis which affected the budget of the Syrian army. There are also rumors among Syrian circles that the reason for diarrhea is a virus carried by Israel to Syria.
