Syrian troops near Turkey border

Syrian troops near Turkey border

Syrian refugees walk as they enter the Turkish side of

the border at the border zone between Syria and Turkey,

near the Turkish village of Guvecci.

          Syrian troops massed near the Turkish border, witnesses said on Thursday, raising tensions with Ankara as the president, Bashar al-Assad, uses increasing military force against a popular revolt.

          Hundreds of terrified refugees crossed into Turkey to escape an army assault, witnesses said. Syrian troops stormed the village of Managh, in a rural region.

          ‘I was contacted by relatives from Managh (15 km south of the border). Armoured personnel carriers are firing their machineguns randomly

          Sunni Turkey has become increasingly critical of Assad, from Syria’s Alawite minority, an offshoot of Islam, after previously backing him in his drive to seek peace with Israel and improve relations with the United States.

          A Turkish Red Crescent official told reporters about 600 Syrians had crossed the border on Thursday morning.

                    He was referring to a scorched earth military campaign in the arable hill region southwest of Aleppo, during which rights groups say Syrian security forces have killed more than 130 civilians and arrested 2,000.

          The Syrian troops hauled down the Turkish flag and replaced it with a Syrian one. They stayed through the morning and then withdrew shortly before noon.