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Syrian army deployed along border with Lebanon to stop refugees

Arab World Materials 19 July 2011 16:17 (UTC +04:00)
The Syrian army has deployed heavily along the border with Lebanon to prevent refugees from escaping the unrest which has been gripping the country since mid-March, activists said Tuesday.
Syrian army deployed along border with Lebanon to stop refugees

The Syrian army has deployed heavily along the border with Lebanon to prevent refugees from escaping the unrest which has been gripping the country since mid-March, activists said Tuesday, DPA reported.

"Syrian troops backed with tanks intensified their presence Tuesday on all borders with Lebanon," Syrian activists said.

"The troops are also closely monitoring all illegal passages between northern Lebanon and Syria," the activists who are based in northern Lebanon told the German Press Agency dpa.

"Dozens of Syrian families have entered the northern Lebanese town of Wadi Khaled since dawn," they said.

A Syrian activist who requested anonymity told dpa the families escaped due to fears that the situation is going to deteriorate in the coming few days.

Thousands of Syrian families have poured into north Lebanon since April, using illegal crossings generally used by smugglers.

Rights groups estimate more than 1,300 civilians and 300 security force personnel have been killed since protests against the rule of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad erupted mid-March.

Thousands of others have been arrested.

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