Syrian TV: 'Armed gangs' kill 120 security officers By OREN KESSLER
06/06/2011 20:32 http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=223944 <http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?ID=223944&R=R1> &R=R1 in Muslim Brotherhood stronghold is deadliest attack in 11-week uprising; Syrian interior ministry: We will respond "firmly" to attacks. Some 120 security forces were killed in the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour, most in a single violent ambush, state television said on Monday. The assault, on the third day of clashes in the northwest town, appears to be the deadliest anti-government strike in the 11-week uprising against President <http://newstopics.jpost.com/topic/Bashar_al-Assad> Bashar Assad. "Martyrs from security (forces) and police were killed in an ambush by armed gangs in Jisr al-Shughour. They were on their way to answer a call for aid from civilians terrorized in Jisr al-Shughour," the station said. RELATED: At least 70 killed in Syrian uprising <http://www.jpost.com/VideoArticles/Video/Article.aspx?id=223546> 's bloodiest day UN chief demands end to 'violent repression' in Syria <http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=223529> "The armed groups are using weapons and grenades ... the people in Jisr al-Shughour are urging the army to intervene speedily," the station reported earlier. It said security forces had clashed with hundreds of gunmen who had set up blockades in the town. Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar the authorities would respond firmly to the attacks. "We will deal firmly and decisively based on the law (and we) will never be silent over any armed attack that targets the country's security," he said in a televised statement. Idlib, the northwest border region near Turkey where Jisr al-Shughour is situated, is a traditional stronghold of the banned <http://newstopics.jpost.com/topic/Muslim_Brotherhood> Muslim Brotherhood. In 1980 government forces shelled the restive town of 40,000, killing 70. Monday's television report said the officers were ambushed while responding to residents' calls for protection from "armed groups," the Associated Press reported. It said 20 policemen were initially killed, and then the groups blew up a post office and attacked a security post, killing eight other security forces. The report said the gunmen were hiding in homes and shooting at security forces and civilians alike, using residents as human shields. "The armed groups mutilated the bodies of some police and security forces' martyrs, throwing the bodies of others into the Orontes River," the state news agency SANA reported. "The groups blocked roads, attacked the houses and terrified citizens, in addition to storming public and private buildings and destroying shops." The death toll ballooned as the day wore on, with state media reporting 28 killed, then 40, 80 and 120. <http://www.jpost.com/SpecialSection/Home.aspx> Click for full Jpost coverage of turmoil in the Middle East <http://newstopics.jpost.com/topic/The_New_York_Times> The New York Times reported from Cairo (nearly all foreign journalists are barred from Syria) that Monday's clashes appear to indicate that the Syrian revolt - previously largely peaceful - may be turning more violent. Some Syrian opposition figures said the dead were soldiers killed by their own comrades for refusing to shoot on civilians, Army Radio reported, but those reports remained unconfirmed. Rights activist Mustafa Osso cast doubt on the government accounts. "The protesters have so far been peaceful and unarmed," he told AP, adding that there were unconfirmed reports of some army deserters who switched sides and were fighting against security forces. Activists put the Syrian uprising's total death toll at 1,200 people [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, discuss-os...@yahoogroups.com. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor biso...@intellnet.org http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: osint-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Unsubscribe: osint-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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