Neither the government’s nor the opposition’s version of events could be independently verified, but both would represent a troubling escalation in the popular uprising — and the bloody government crackdown — that has gripped Syria since mid-March. Although the protests in many Syrian cities have been peaceful, the government of President Bashar al-Assad has claimed that it faces an armed insurrection by extremists and terrorists, possibly to justify the widespread deployment of troops and tanks to crush dissent.

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There have been sporadic armed clashes with opponents of the government during the revolt, and human rights groups did not rule out the possibility of violent reprisals against troops by people who lived in Jisr al-Shoughour, a Sunni Muslim area with a history of support for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

Telephone and Internet service to the town was heavily disrupted on Monday night. But residents reached by phone described scenes of mass flight and street barricades hastily built by the people to defend against the return of security forces.

“The army split; the confrontation is between them,” said Saeb Jamil, a local activist who said he was helping people flee to the nearby Turkish border. “The army is confronting the army.”

It was unclear from residents’ accounts if local people took part in the conflict between defectors and elements of the security forces that remained loyal. Camille Otrakji, a Damascus-born political blogger living in Montreal, said the country was tinderbox waiting for a spark, especially as the unrest dragged on and tensions mounted.