Global General

Syrian army begins operations in northern town

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-06-10 17:26

BEIRUT - Syrian troops backed by dozens of tanks massed outside a virtually deserted town near the Turkish border Friday preparing to move in after protesters and mutinous forces rose up against the rule of President Bashar Assad.

Thousands of residents who have fled into Turkey have depicted a week of revolt and mayhem in Jisr al-Shughour, saying Syrian police turned their guns on each other and soldiers shed their uniforms rather than obey orders to fire on protesters.

Syrian state television said Friday the operation aims to restore security in the town, where authorities say 120 officers and security personnel were killed by "armed groups" last week.

Tanks were on the outer edges of Jisr al-Shughour, preparing to enter, an AP reporter accompanying Syrian troops on a government-organized trip said. He said the army announced the start of operations at around 5 am Friday. Witnesses contacted by telephone said most residents had abandoned the town.

Syrian television said the operation to "liberate" the town from "armed gangs" came in response to the appeals of residents who were terrorized by the groups. The government has often blamed violence on gunmen and Islamic extremists, though there are widespread accounts of security forces firing on unarmed protesters.

Reports of an imminent operation by the military prompted an exodus of refugees to Turkey. About 2,700 Syrian refugees have crossed into Turkey since the nationwide uprising against President Bashar Assad began three months ago, with most fleeing in the last two days.

State television said armed groups set crops and fields in areas surrounding Jisr al-Shughour on fire as the army approached.

But a man in the town said the few remaining residents were collecting car and truck tires to set them on fire in an attempt to try to block the advance of the army. He said by telephone to an AP reporter in Beirut that a military helicopter had flown over the area Thursday night, firing flares on a possible reconnaissance mission.

The resident said tanks entered the village of Sirmaniyeh, five miles (12 kilometers) from Jisr al-Shughour and were headed there.