Syrian tanks and troops swept into two northwestern towns near the Turkish border on Wednesday, killing one person and wounding 13 according to activists, and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said Syria was aiming guns at its own people. In the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, residents reported heavy gunfire as troops deployed across the provincial capital, making arrests and spraying pro-Assad slogans on buildings. Erdogan, a former close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, said his foreign minister had emphasised when he visited Damascus on Tuesday that the violence must cease. “In Syria, the state is pointing guns at its own people,” he declared. “Turkey’s message to Assad is very clear: stop all kinds of violence and bloodshed.” The Turkish leader said he hoped that Assad, confronting nearly five months of pro-democracy demonstrations, would take steps within 10 to 15 days towards promised political reforms.
