1,600 Syrians Flee to Turkey

The flow of refugees from northern Syria has turned from a drip into a gusher. After initial reports that residents of Jisr al-Shoughour—a town that’s bearing the brunt of a government crackdown—were leaving the country for neighboring Turkey, the UN now says that nearly 1,600 Syrians have entered Turkey. President Bashar al-Assad launched a fierce assault, including about 40 tanks, on the town after alleging that 120 soldiers were killed by protesters earlier this week. "Jisr al-Shughour is practically empty. People were not going to sit and be slaughtered like lambs," one refugee said. Turkey has made no effort to stop the refugees, but it and other Western countries are becoming increasingly concerned about violence in Syria—while still remaining reluctant to intervene directly.