TURKEY WILL not “close its doors” to Syrians seeking refuge from unrest across the border, prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated yesterday, as tanks converged on a restive town where 120 soldiers were reportedly killed last weekend. Mr Erdogan called upon the Syrian government to be “more tolerant” toward citizens involved in ongoing protests.
Fearing retribution from the military, several hundred Syrians have fled to Turkey from Jisr al- Shughour, a town 20 kilometres from the border, and nearby villages. The refugees are being accommodated in tents set up by the Red Crescent in the southern Hatay province.
The wounded have been transported in ambulances to Turkish hospitals for treatment.
Some townspeople and villagers have pitched tents in their fields while those of the 40,000 residents remaining in their homes said they were awaiting an attack. Men have set up roadblocks to halt or stall the advance of the military.
The government, which has vowed to impose security, said the troops were killed by “armed gangs” while opposition activists contended that the soldiers were shot and killed during a mutiny.
Ammar Qurabi, head of the Cairo-based National Organisation for Human Rights in Syria, said it was unclear how the troops died.
Analysts argue that the authorities, challenged by a revolt that began in mid-March, cannot afford to accept either scenario.
Consequently, a fierce crack-down on Jisr al-Shughour, where there have been fire-fights between troops and armed men, could transform unrest into full-scale rebellion.
Convoys of tanks and troops making for Jisr al-Shughour are said to belong to the fourth mechanised division commanded by President Bashar al-Assad’s brother, Maher al-Assad, who has a reputation for dealing harshly with dissidents.
He has been charged with restoring control over the restive Idlib province.
Al-Watan, a pro-government daily, said the Syrian army was determined to minimise civilian casualties in the coming “very delicate” operation.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which has followers in this area, is- sued a statement in London arguing that the authorities were seeking a pretext to crush the revolt. “We assure international, Arab and national opinion that the Syrian revolution is both peaceful and countrywide.”
However, the organisation’s involvement in the unrest has made the regime, which battled the movement during the 1980s, all the more determined to end the revolt which has not, so far, embraced Damascus or Aleppo, Syria’s most populated cities.
Anti-government activists claim 1,200 people have died, thou- sands have been wounded and 10,000 have been detained during the revolt.