The Syrian government has vowed to retaliate after claiming that dozens of its police and security forces were killed in attacks in and around the north-western town of Jisr al-Shughour.
In an indication they will intensify the crackdown on protesters that has already killed an estimated 1,200 civilians, authorities rapidly upgraded the toll in the town 20 miles from the Turkish border.
The state news agency, Sana, initially said 28 personnel had been killed, including in an armed ambush and at a state security post. It revised the figure up to 43, 80 and then 120 within the space of an hour without an explanation. The claims could not be independently verified.
"We will act firmly and decisively based on the law [and] will never be silent over any armed attack that targets the country's security," the interior minister, Ibrahim Shaar, said in a statement broadcast on state television. » | Nidaa Hassan in Damascus | Monday, June 06, 2011
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syrian forces crackdown to result in massive loss of life: Residents of Jisr al-Shughour in north-west Syria warned of an imminent atrocity if the security forces carry out an operation to take control of the town following the deaths of 120 soldiers in clashes. » | Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent | Tuesday, June 07, 2011
