Syrian army attacks village near Turkish border

Syrian army activity, visible across olive groves from the small Turkish border village of Bukulmez, comes days before a ceasefire deadline agreed by President Bashar al-Assad.The flow of refugees to Turkish camps nearby swelled to 2,800 on Thursday as violence in the bordering Idlib province worsened.It was impossible to verify reports from the many refugees fleeing Syria since foreign correspondents access to the country is strictly limited by the Damascus government.A Syrian helicopter could be seen hovering over mountains on the Syrian side of the border in clear view of refugees at a camp.Villagers reported hearing artillery along the border.A Turkish foreign ministry official touring the camps in the area said there was new activity close to the border.Assad says his government is under attack from foreign-backed Islamist militants and denies his own troops have targeted civilians. He says support from Western and Arab governments for the rebels is only feeding the violence and obstructing a peaceful settlement.In Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu demanded Assad keep his promise to cease military operations.At the moment the number of refugees to have entered Turkey is 23,835. If more refugees come then the United Nations and international community must take action, he told reporters.Under an internationally backed plan agreed with Damascus, government forces should cease operations and withdraw from settlements by April 10. Rebels should then cease fire within 48 hours.Turkey fears that a complete breakdown in Syria would unleash a flood of refugees reminiscent of the half million who descended on Turkish territory from Iraq during the Gulf War in the early 1990s.Ankara officials have cited such a development as one of the few that might make it consider establishment of a safe zone on the Syrian side. The presence now of Syrian troops so close to the border would make such a move perilous.