By William Tucker
Syrian State TV has reported that 120 security forces personnel have been killed in the northern city of Jisr al-Shughour. The Syrian regime stated that it will act with force to combat the armed gangs it claims to have been fighting since the unrest began. The impending military action on Jisr al-Shughour has forced many residents to flee leaving neighboring Turkey to fear an influx of refugees to escape the government led carnage. The al-Assad regime has struggled to put down the current unrest and the use of military/police to bring order has not brought the success the President hoped for. Few people were buying the armed gangs excuse, but this recent incident is rather strange compared to the unrest over the last few weeks. Some residents of Jisr al-Shughour claimed that the violence was between different factions of the security forces which would have a significant impact on the regime. It is not clear at this point if this was a split in the security forces, but we’ll have to keep a close eye on Syria and look for any signs that the military may be fracturing.
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