Syrian town abandoned as army threatens retaliation

Security officers carry coffins at a funeral for their slain counterparts in Jisr al-Shughour Jisr al-Shughour was a virtual ghost town Wednesday as Syria's army besieged the town with columns of tanks ahead of a feared all-out assault on residents. Most inhabitants fled to nearby Turkey in fear of expected retaliation by the Assad regime after it claimed armed gangs in the largely Sunni Muslim town of 41,000 people had killed 120 police and security officers early Monday.
Interior Minister Ibrahim Shaar said the Assad regime would "deal strongly and decisively" following the claimed "armed attack that targets the security of the state and its citizens."
Turkish authorities said they'd received several hundred refugees who had crossed the border, many with wounds. Several thousand more townspeople are believed to have fled south toward Aleppo, Syria's largest city, and east into farmlands, witnesses told Britain's The Guardian newspaper, which is secretly reporting from Syria.
It was not clear how many residents stayed behind.
Human rights activists in Damascus, the Syrian capital, said 59 civilians had been confirmed killed in the uprising but the final number would likely be more than 100.
Syrian Information Minister Mohammed al-Shaar, who insisted Monday night residents had taken up arms and turned on security forces, did not explain how the 120 heavily armed security forces were killed.
Witnesses told The Guardian the killings were carried out by men loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad who shot security personnel who had switched allegiances.
"They were killing the defecting officers," one local speaking by telephone told the newspaper. "The people came to defend them and then they had to defend themselves. There was a battle."
Another man also said some officers had switched sides.
The Syrian government refused to acknowledge any defection or mutiny had occurred, even though Syrian Army First Lt. Abdul Razaq Tlass appeared on the al-Jazeera satellite channel early Tuesday urging other officers to protect the people and side with the protesters instead of supporting the regime.
The pro-democracy uprising broke out in mid-March, initially calling for reforms but soon demanding an end to the Assad regime after brutal government crackdowns spread to most major Syrian towns and cities.