Protesters attempt to block Syrian army

Syrian refugees were crossing into Turkey ThursdayEarlier demonstrators tried to block the Syrian military from reaching restive townThe government claims at least 120 security forces were killed in Jisr Al-ShugurResidents fear a revenge attack by the Syrian military, protesters say

Yayladagi, Turkey (CNN) -- Syrian refugees were crossing the border into Turkey Thursday after demonstrators tried to stop soldiers from reaching the Syrian border town of Jisr Al-Shugur, where the government claims at least 120 security forces were killed.

"We tried to stop the tanks moving forward" to Jisr Al-Shugur messaged a Syrian student from the town of Saraqib, located less than an hour's drive from Jisr Al-Shugur.

The student, who asked not to be named to protect him from reprisals, said demonstrators were out until at least midnight on Wednesday, burning tires and trying to block a column of nine Syrian tanks from moving through Saraqib toward Jisr Al-Shughur.

Soldiers fired in the air to try to clear the way, a demonstrator said.

Meanwhile, locals described Jisr Al-Shugur as a "ghost town."

The protesters said tens of thousands of residents fled the town fearing a revenge attack from the Syrian military, after the Syrian government claimed "armed groups" killed at least 120 security forces in Jisr Al-Shugur within the last week.

At least 1,050 Syrian refugees have crossed into Turkey within the last 24 hours, reports the semi-official Anatoian Agency. Clusters of other Syrian civilians have been camping out along the border. Several of them told CNN by telephone that they were reluctant to flee their country.

On Wednesday, Turkish ambulances evacuated at least three Syrian men and women who arrived at one point along the border with bullet wounds, said Fadi Mustafa Soufi, a Syrian activist from Jisr Al-Shugur who has also been camping along the frontier.

A resident of the Turkish border village of Karbeyaz, who also asked not to be named, said Turkish officers have been temporarily housing refugees in a village wedding hall.

Refugees are then transferred to a tent city run by the Turkish Red Crescent, on the grounds of an abandoned tobacco factory in the border town of Yaylidagi.

There are at least 1,577 refugees currently housed there, the Anatolian Agency reported, adding that the Red Crescent is now planning to establish a second refugee camp.

Turkish officials have denied journalists permission to meet the refugees, while the Syrians are also confined to remain within the compound.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been fiercely campaigning ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled to take place on June 12, addressed the growing violence taking place across the border.

"It is out of question that we close the border at this point. The developments in Syria are saddening. We are watching in worry," Erdogan said at his party headquarters on Wednesday, according to Anatolian Agency.

"We hope that Syria changes its attitude towards the civilians to a more tolerant one and realize its steps for reform in a more convincing way for the civilians."

Meanwhile, inside Syria, there were signs that Jisr Al-Shugur was becoming a growing symbol of defiance for demonstrators around the country, who continue to call for the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al Assad, even though more than 1,000 people have been killed, according to international estimates, and more than 10,000 arrested since anti-government protests erupted less than three months ago.

"Please post in internet that our houses are opened for people from Jisr Al-Shugur," wrote the student protester from Saraqib. "We are all one side...for the sake of our country."

Journalist Rasha Qass Yousef contributed to this report

CNN