Syrian troops take north-west town

Syrian troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships have taken over a north-western town days after laying siege to it, activists said today.

Syria-based rights activist Mustafa Osso said large numbers of soldiers entered Maaret al-Numan early today. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.

Many of the residents of Maaret al-Numan, a town of 100,000 on the highway linking Damascus with Syria’s largest city, Aleppo, have fled following last week’s operations in the north-western province of Idlib, near the Turkish border.

Omar Idilbi, of the Local Co-ordination Committees, a group which documents anti-government protests, said troops were in full control of the town.

Human rights activists say more than 1,400 Syrians have been killed and 10,000 detained in the government crackdown.