Syrians flee army set on revenge

Refugees streamed out of the northern town of Jisr al-Shughour yesterday, fearing revenge from security forces for clashes in which Syrian authorities claimed 120 troops were killed. Thousands more are believed to be sheltering on the Turkish border.

A military operation was launched by the Syrian army in Jisr al-Shughour on Friday, and there were reports of crops being burned and people being killed as security forces sealed it off from the outside world.

Syrian soldiers and police officers who deserted rather than fire on protesters were also reported to have remained behind to fight against an expected all-out government assault. Troops loyal to the regime came under sniper fire yesterday as they approached.

Tanks and thousands of troops sealed the roads leading to the mostly deserted town of Jisr al-Shughour in response to what the government claims were attacks by "armed groups" that killed more than 120 officers and security personnel last week. Refugees reaching Turkey said the chaos erupted as government forces and police mutinied and joined the local population.

"The border area has turned practically into a buffer zone," said the man, who identified himself only as Abu Fadi. "Families have taken shelter under the trees and there are 7,000 to 10,000 people here now."

Human rights groups say security forces have killed more than 1,100 Syrian civilians in increasingly bloody efforts to suppress demonstrations calling for Assad's removal, more political freedoms and an end to corruption and poverty.

Thirty-six protesters were shot dead across Syria on Friday, while Syrian authorities deployed helicopter gunships in the town of Maarat al- Numaan.

The government, which has blamed the violence on "terrorists", said yesterday the army had arrested two armed groups in Jisr al-Shughour after launching operations there in response to requests from residents. The state news agency Sana said they seized guns, explosives and detonators.

Sana also said that a group of journalists and photographers came under fire yesterday from "terrorist groups" at the entrance to the town, but that none were wounded.

Some activists and residents said the fighting last week in Jisr al-Shughour was between members of the security forces after some mutinied over orders to shoot at protesters, and that many of the dead were civilians caught in the clashes.

Damascus has banned most foreign correspondents from the country, making it difficult to verify accounts of events.

Activist Jamil Saeb spoke by telephone, suggesting the army was afraid to take on the people who stayed behind because Jisr al-Shughour is "known to be exceptionally fierce". He said several army deserters and officers were still there and have vowed to protect unarmed residents.

Jisr al-Shughour and the province of Idlib have a history of animosity toward the Assad regime, which until recently has maintained tight control over its people. The town's Muslim Brotherhood population rose up against Assad's father, the late president Hafez Assad, in the late 1970s. It came under heavy government bombardment in 1980, with a reported 70 people killed. Residents say the numbers were much higher.

A UN statement said Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was deeply concerned by the violence in Syria. "The Syrian authorities have an obligation to protect their people and respect their rights. The use of military force against civilians is unacceptable," it said.

A UN spokesman said Ban Ki-moon had been trying to call Assad all week but was told that the president was "not available".

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal have asked the UN Security Council to condemn Assad, though veto-wielding Russia has said it would oppose such a move.

Denouncing Syrian government actions, the White House said Friday's "appalling violence" had led the United States to back the European draft resolution at the UN.

"The Syrian government is leading Syria on a dangerous path," said a White House spokesman.

Foreign minister Walid al-Moualem reportedly wrote to the UN Security Council last week accusing the opposition of violence and sabotage. Foreign governments were basing their views on "inaccurate information", it said.

Moualem's letter asked for UN help to combat "extremism and terrorism". Damascus wanted dialogue with the opposition, he said, reiterating an official position that opposition leaders say is not credible given the military crackdown.

The northwest border area, like other protest hotspots, is prone to tension between Syria's majority Sunni Muslims and Assad's Alawite sect, which dominates the Syrian power elite.

The recent clashes hint at splits within the security forces, whose commanders are mainly Alawite and conscripted Sunni.The protests were inspired by uprisings against other entrenched autocrats in the Arab world but do not appear to have become widespread enough to threaten Assad with the same fate as the toppled leaders of Egypt and Tunisia. Syrian authorities have repeatedly portrayed anti-government protesters as armed and violent.

State television said on Friday that well-armed "terrorist groups" had burned police buildings and killed members of the security forces in Maarat al-Numaan, which lies 35 miles south of Syria's second city Aleppo on the highway to Damascus.

A demonstrator, speaking by telephone from Maarat al-Numaan, said the protests there had been peaceful. "The security forces let us protest, but when they saw the size of the demonstration grow, they opened fire to disperse us. During the protest, two officers and three soldiers refused to open fire so we carried them on our shoulders. After that, we were surprised to see helicopters firing on us."

A 40-year-old from Jisr al-Shughour, with a bullet still in his thigh, also described mutiny in Syrian ranks.

"Some of the security forces defected and there were some in the army who refused the orders of their superiors," he said. "They were firing on each other."

In the Turkish border town of Yayladagi, authorities set up four field hospitals for emergency cases.

One of them, who would identify himself only with his first name, Ahmad, said he was hit by three bullets during a protest in Jisr al-Shughour last Saturday.

"The snipers suddenly started firing onto us from three buildings. I was hit in the neck and chest first but a third bullet found my right arm when I raised it while on the ground.

"Allah gave me another life."