Syrian Army Enters Village Near Turkish Border

A Turkish family rides on a cart near Turkish soldiers guarding a Syrian refugee a camp, during a brief visit organized by Turkish authorities for the media, in Boynuyogun, Turkey, Saturday, June 18, 2011. According to Turkish authorities more than 10,000 Syrians are now in refugee camps in the Hatay province, near Turkey's border with Syria.

Beirut – An activist group says Syrian troops backed by tanks and firing heavy machine guns have entered a village near the Turkish border.

The Local Coordination Committees, a group that documents anti-government protests, says troops backed by six tanks entered Bdama early Saturday. The village is about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the Turkish border.

On Friday, Syrian forces swept into Maaret al-Numan, a town on the highway linking Damascus, the capital, with Syria's largest city, Aleppo.

Bdama is adjacent to Jisr al-Shughour, a town that was spinning out of government control before the military recaptured it last Sunday.

Human rights activists say more than 1,400 Syrians have been killed in the three-month uprising against President Bashar Assad.