BBC: At least 28 people have been killed in fresh clashes in Syria between security forces and protesters, activists say.
They say tanks and helicopter gunships opened fire on crowds in the northern town of Maarat al-Numan, leaving several protesters dead.
The violence came as government forces moved on the nearby town of Jisr al-Shughour where the government said 120 security personnel had been killed.
Hundreds of civilians have fled north into Turkey to escape the assault.
Opposition activists told the BBC that the army was adopting a "scorched earth policy" around Jisr al-Shughour, with helicopter gunships and tanks firing into the town as advancing troops bulldozed homes and torched crops and fields.
The Syrian government has not commented on the claim.
Anti-government activists said about 15 people died in the northern province of Idlib, most of them in in Maarat al-Numan where tanks and helicopters fired on protesters.
Correspondents say it is the first reported use of air power to quell protests in Syria's three-month uprising. (+video) » | Friday, June 10, 2011
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