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WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned of the risk of escalation in the Middle East amid reports Syrian forces raided a village bordering Turkey in pursuit of pro-democracy protesters.
Syrian troops backed by tanks stormed the village of Khirbet al-Joz, where many of the displaced protesters had massed, an activist at the scene told AFP.
“We are very concerned by the reports that the Syrian military has surrounded and targeted the village of Khirbet al-Joz, which is located roughly 500 meters from the Turkish border,” Clinton told reporters.
“If true, that aggressive action will only exacerbate the already unstable refugee situation in Syria,” she said.
As protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's rule hit the 100-day mark, hundreds more Syrians on Thursday sought haven in Turkey from a deadly crackdown on dissent back home.
More than 10,000 Syrians are estimated to have sheltered in camps on the Turkish side of the border.
Clinton said she has discussed the border situation with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu while President Barack Obama has done the same with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“And it just is very clear to us that unless the Syrian forces immediately end their attacks and their provocations that are not only now affecting their own citizens but endangering the potential border clashes, then we're going to see an escalation of conflict in the area,” Clinton said.
“We are closely consulting with Turkey. But this is a very worrisome development by the Syrians,” she said.
A Turkish smuggler with relatives on the Syrian side told AFP that tanks were on stand-by at Khirbet al-Joz, but plainclothes police were descending on farms outside the village.
And a Syrian imam who arrived in Guvecci, Turkey on Thursday told AFP that Syrian soldiers were blocking access to the border.
