Syrian government forces captured the strategic northern town Jisr al-Shughur on Sunday in a bid to crush an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, according to Syrian state television.

Residents reported shelling and machine gun fire from helicopters and tanks which began on late Saturday night.

"They are using up to 150 tanks and armored vehicles. Jisr al-Shughur is small and there is not even space to park all this armor. The shelling is nonstop now. Two helicopters are flying overhead and firing their machine guns," one resident told Reuters.

"Tanks came from the south after shelling randomly and sending volleys of machine gun fire all over the town. People are still fleeing north," another resident said.

State television reported that the prolonged attack on Jisr al-Shughur was "at the request of residents" to take care of the "armed gangs."

Some 5,000 refugees have crossed the border to Turkey

The Syrian government blames the gangs for killing more than 120 security personnel in the town last week. Refugees and rights groups have said, however, the deaths were of soldiers who were shot for refusing to fire on civilians.

Syria's official SANA news agency reported Sunday that a mass grave with the bodies of 10 security agents had been discovered.

Foreign journalists have restricted access in Syria and reports are difficult to verify.

Witness reports given to journalists working in Turkey, however, suggest that government troops led by al Assad's brother Maher are following a scorched-earth policy aimed at crushing civilian resistance. One witness described troops burning wheat crops and killing livestock in villages.

Mass exodus

More Syrians fled across the border into Turkey on Sunday, bringing the total number of refugees to an estimated 5,000. Many originated from Jisr al-Shughur and the surrounding region, which activists say is now largely deserted.

The Turkish Red Crescent has set up tent camps for the people who have already arrived and is making arrangements to host roughly 9,000 more.

"Turkey welcomed a great many number of guests in the past in their times of most dire need. We can do that again," Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Halit Cevik was quoted as saying by the state-run Anatolian news agency.

According to rights groups, at least 1,300 people have been killed and over 10,000 detained since protests calling for the ouster of President Assad began in mid-March.

UN resolution

The British Foreign Security joined the US and the EU in condemning al-Assad's regime on Sunday. William Hague said The UN Security Council must make a "clear statement" on Syria by proceeding with a resolution condemning the crackdown by government forces. Hague added that the prospects for a resolution were "on a knife-edge."

Turkey has vowed not to stem the influx of refugees crossing the border from Syria

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal are pushing for the UN Security Council (UNSC) to adopt a draft resolution that would condemn Syria's crackdown and suggest that its security forces might be responsible for crimes against humanity. The resolution would not impose sanctions.

The European quartet convened UNSC talks on Saturday with the aim of breaking a deadlock over the language of the resolution. But permanent veto-wielding UNSC members China and Russia did not attend.

"The dangerous situation makes a clear reaction from the UN Security Council all the more urgent," said German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on Sunday.

"I condemn the actions of the Syrian leadership in the north of the country. The violence and the use of heavy weaponry are threatening to create a humanitarian crisis."

The United States has not sponsored the resolution but made clear that it supports the text. Russia and China have suggested they might use their veto power to block it. Lebanon, India, Brazil and South Africa have also expressed reservations over the text.

Meanwhile UN officials said Assad has refused to take phone calls from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who reiterated on Friday that "the use of military force against civilians is unacceptable."

International condemnation

Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union have accused Syria of unleashing a humanitarian crisis and urged President Assad to allow the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered access within the country's northern region where violence has escalated.

Assad apparently refuses to talk with Ban Ki-moon

"Syrian leaders have no excuse for denying humanitarian assistance by a neutral body like the ICRC," the White House said in a statement.

"If Syria's leaders fail to provide this access, they will once again be showing contempt for the dignity of the Syrian people."

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said she was "deeply concerned by the worsening humanitarian situation" and called on Damascus to allow international human rights monitors and humanitarian agencies into the country.

"I deplore the escalating use of brutal force against protesters in Syria in recent days," Ashton said. "I reiterate my repeated calls on the Syrian authorities to change course."

The Turkish government, normally friendly with the Syrian regime, issued its harshest condemnation of the violence yet. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Syrian forces "do not behave humanely" and that the crackdown would "necessarily" lead to action by the UN Security Council.

Author: Charlotte Chelsom-Pill (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)

Editor: Kyle James