Syrian army launches crackdown on Turkish border town

Authorities target 'armed gangs' blamed for deaths of 120 security forces

Posted Jun 10, 2011

Global Post

Syria’s army began operations Friday to “restore security” in the flashpoint town of Jisr al-Shughur near the Turkish border, where the government says that 120 policemen were killed this week, state television reports.

The raid by the Syrian army comes after tanks and troops had gathered around the northwestern town on Thursday, causing an exodus of residents to nearby Turkey, Agence France-Presse reports.

Syrian authorities have blamed “armed gangs” for the deaths of 120 security personnel earlier this week in the northwestern town. However, there are reports of deserting soldiers and massacres of civilians by loyalist troops, the BBC reports.

Refugees have flooded into nearby Turkey, seeking saftey in anticipation of a crackdown on Jisr al-Shughur and area. The Turkish government says that more than 2,000 Syrians have crossed the border. More than 1,000 people crossed into Turkey just in the last 24 hours, the UNHCR said on Thursday.

The Syrian government says local residents requested the army's intervention to restore peace to the area, the BBC reports.

Human rights groups say more than 1,100 people have been killed and 10,000 arrested in Syria since protests against President Bashar al-Assad began in mid-March.

Fears that Syria may slide into civil war are growing, Reuters reports:

The scale of the killing in an area prone to tension between Syria's Sunni majority and Assad's Alawite sect points to a bloodier turn of events after three months of unrest against 41 years of Alawite-dominated Assad family rule.