Thousands of Syrians on Wednesday continued to gather at the border with Turkey amid fears of a military crackdown, despite calls by the government for residents to return, DPA reported.
Syrian state news agency SANA reported Wednesday that the cabinet had called on citizens of the north-western town of Jisr al-Shugur "to come back home."
This after over 8,000 Syrians fled the province and crossed the border into Turkey in recent days.
Other residents have fled south to the Syrian city of Aleppo.
Syrian state TV broadcast images this week of what it said were mass graves containing the mutilated corpses of at least 10 soldiers found in Idlib province.
Meanwhile, human rights groups have said that at least 1,300 people have been killed and more than 10,000 detained since the protests calling for the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad started in March.
For days, tanks have been deployed in the province of Idlib, where Jisr al-Shugur is located. Witnesses said soldiers are conducting search-and-arrest operations following the deaths of 120 security personnel last week.
While the government has blamed the attack on "armed groups," the opposition claims those killed were soldiers who defected and subsequently executed by fellow soldiers.
Activists said Tuesday that security forces killed six civilians in the city of al-Ariha, 30 kilometres east of Jisr al-Shaghur, according to broadcaster Al-Arabiya. The broadcaster's correspondent was granted permission by the government to accompany the military in Jisr al-Shugur.
However, Damascus has banned the entry of foreign media into Syria.
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