Syria is widening its crackdown on anti-government protesters opposing President Bashar al-Assad. On Tuesday, Syrian tanks were deployed to two additional towns following ongoing operations in an area near Syria’s border with Turkey. More accounts of government attacks on civilians continue to emerge from the town of Jisr al-Shughour, where thousands of residents have fled.

Unidentified: “They forced us to leave our homes. They killed our people. They made us drink dirty water. They poisoned the milk for the children. They attacked Jisr, and we left our homes. Now I don’t know where my aunts and uncles are.’’

A new tally by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the unrest has claimed the lives of nearly 1,300 civilians and 340 government troops since protests erupted in March.