Syrian security forces on Thursday made sweeping arrests, stopping males over the age of 16 in the country's northwestern province, the Associated Press reported quoting a Syrian human rights activist.
The activist, Mustafa Osso, told AP the arrests were mainly done in Jisr al-Shughour and surrounding areas, where the Syrian army has been deploying troops in what seems to be preparation for a new military operation.
Osso also said troops opened fire Thursday morning near Maaret al-Numan, a town with some 100,000 people on the highway between Damascus and Aleppo. No casualties were reported yet.
