Gunmen in "military uniform and government cars" were responsible for the recent killings of as many as 120 Syrian security forces in the northwestern city of Jisr Shughur, the official Syrian Arab News Agency said Wednesday.

The news agency's statement could signal a dramatic division within Syria's security forces and lend credence to opposition claims of clashes between forces loyal to President Bashar Assad and those refusing to take part in a violent crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators.

However, reports of internal divisions and fighting between branches of the security forces have been trickling out for weeks. But, by and large, Syrian security forces -- unlike those that stood aside or helped revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt -- have remained loyal to the regime. Assad, a member of the Alawite minority, a small Shiite Muslim sect, has staffed the upper reaches of the armed forces' officer corps with co-religionists. The majority of Syrians are Sunni Muslims.

Thousands of security forces reportedly converged in the northern region Wednesday. Residents of villages near Jisr Shughur said that security forces had massed scores of tanks and armored personnel vehicles on the city's outskirts. Some residents fled and sought safety in mosques, churches and schools, according to reports. There was no way to independently verify individual accounts.

The reports Wednesday followed a particularly violent crackdown on protesters Friday in Jisr Shughur, long a focal point of antigovernment unrest. Residents reached by telephone have told foreign journalists that some security forces refused to fire on the thousands of demonstrators Friday and on other days.

"There is a battle between those who are obeying orders to shoot peaceful demonstrators and those who aren't," said Ahmad, a college student in Jisr Shughur reached by telephone. He asked that his last name not be used for fear of angering authorities.

Ahmad said dozens of civilians had been killed in the city since Friday, when massive protests erupted.

"They were met by army personnel who didn't assault them," Ahmad said. "But soon security forces arrived and snipers claimed rooftops and began an offensive on army personnel and civilians."

Ahmad said residents had detained members of the security forces, but he rejected allegations that townspeople had been using weapons against the soldiers.

One amateur video posted on the Internet and dated Monday showed residents of the city holding olive branches and demanding that the army not enter their city.

"There are no criminals here," they declared.

"They are claiming that terrorist groups are taking over whole cities?" Ahmad said. "Don't they know how ridiculous it sounds? "We are simple, hopeful townsfolk. We do not have weapons. And even if some people had any weapons in their homes in the beginning ... the security [forces] have already confiscated everything."

Critics accuse the Syrian regime of twisting facts to match an increasingly implausible narrative that they are promoting. According to reports by state news agencies, "terrorists" allegedly obtained military uniforms and government vehicles and used them to "film themselves committing acts of vandalism" to frame the Syrian army.

"Terrorists attacked the police and security centers as well as other government and private institutions, violated the streets, neighborhoods and houses, and used rooftops to sniper and shoot at citizens and security forces," SANA reported.

Syrian human rights activists based abroad say the fighting in Jisr Shughur might herald a key crack in the security forces. In recent days, Al Jazeera satellite channel has aired an amateur video clip of a young army lieutenant from central Syria saying that he is defecting after being ordered to fire on unarmed protesters.

Another Syrian described as a civilian employee of the security forces told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that the job of his organization, the Military Security, was to "curb demonstrations, protect only Bashar Assad, carry out terrorist operations, shoot unarmed civilians and shoot any army member" who defied orders to kill demonstrators.

The violence in Jisr Shughur has prompted some residents to seek safety just across the border in southern Turkey.

Khalid Alahmed, a resident, said he was taken to a clinic in Antab, Turkey, on Sunday after he was shot in his right shoulder and right leg during a protest. He said he saw nine of his friends shot and killed.

"We were protesting in a peaceful protest," he said, speaking by telephone from the clinic. "We were hit with bullets. We don't know where they came from."

He denied reports that dozens of army soldiers had been killed by armed gangs. He said they were shot after they didn't follow orders to open fire on protesters.

According to Turkey's semi-official Anatolia news agency, by Wednesday 220 people had arrived at a Red Crescent camp on the Turkish border, further alienating the regime in Damascus from a once steadfast ally.

"What's going on in Syria is saddening," said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who announced that his nation would welcome any Syrians seeking refuge. "Our concern has risen. I hope the Syrian government makes its stance more tolerant toward civilians."

daragahi@latimes.com

Special correspondent Hajjar reported from Beirut and Times staff writer Daragahi from Istanbul. Times staff writer Raja Abdulrahim in Los Angeles contributed to this report.