Syrian forces shelled a town in the country’s restive north and opened fire on scattered protests nationwide, killing at least 32 people on June 10, activists said. Hundreds of Syrians streamed across the border into Turkey, trying to escape the violence as Ankara considered setting up a buffer zone between the countries in the event of a massive influx of refugees. A Syrian opposition figure told The Associated Press by telephone that thousands of protesters overwhelmed security officers and torched the courthouse and police station in the northern town of Maaret Al-Numan, and the army responded with tank shells.
Syria’s state-run television appeared to confirm at least part of the report, saying gunmen opened fire on troops in Maaret Al-Numan, causing casualties. The Local Coordination Committees, a group that documents anti-government protests in Syria, said at least 32 people died in protests and army operations, half of them in the northwestern province of Idlib. The group said many of the casualties were in Maaret Al-Numan. Forty kilometers to the west in the same province, Syrian troops backed by dozens of tanks massed outside the virtually deserted town of Jisr Al-Shughour and shelled nearby villages. Late Friday, Syrian television said troops reached the entrances of the town and detained members of “armed groups.”