Syrian Army Enters Jisr al-Shughour

The military sweeps through the nearly deserted town to retaliate after reports of a massacre of security forces.

Thousands of residents have fled the northern Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour for refuge in Turkey as the army arrives to drive out armed militias. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad claims that 120 security personnel were killed by armed protesters in Jisr al-Shughour this week, but the massacre has been impossible to verify due to a near ban on reporters in Syria during its uprising. People who have fled said they had seen soldiers and police firing on one another because a number of them had refused to obey orders to attack protesters. More than 1,200 people have died in the Syrian revolt so far.