Thousands Flee Syria for Turkey

The Turkish-Syrian border is congested with refugees amid heightened violence at the hands of government forces.

About 10,000 Syrians have gathered at the border with Turkey, waiting to cross into refuge as the Syrian government appears to be escalating its crackdown in the northern part of the country. Some 8,000 Syrians have already fled the country for safety in Turkey, which has opened its southern border to those seeking to escape President Bashar al-Assad's brutal response to three months of protests. Hundreds of residents in the town of Jisr al-Shughour were reportedly arrested by Syrian security forces after the military swept through the city last week. The military has now turned its eyes to Maarat al-Nuuman, a city of 90,000 near the Turkish border. An estimated 1,300 people have been killed in the uprising so far.