Reply #82: SYRIA: Jisr al-Shughour almost deserted, surrounded by heavy armor

[pinboy3niner]

AP reports:

Syrian state television on Saturday said army units arrested several leaders of the alleged armed groups in the area. About 80% of the population has fled, with more than 4,000 Syrians taking sanctuary across the Turkish frontier.

The town – normally inhabited by 41,000 people – has become a focal point of the Syrian revolution ever since Assad's regime vowed to wreak vengeance on its mostly forsaken inhabitants, who the regime accuses of killing 120 government troops last weekend.

Refugees who crossed the border into Turkey said the chaos had erupted as government forces and police mutinied and joined the local population against the forces loyal to Assad.

But AP reports that, despite the build up of Assad's forces, protests have spread to every major town in the region. In the town of Maaret al-Numan, 25 miles (40km) to the south-east of Jisr al-Shughour, thousands of protesters overwhelmed security forces and torched the courthouse and police station.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/middle-east-live/2011/jun/11/syria-middle-east-live-blog#block-2