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The countryside here in northern Syria is in open revolt, and this is rebellion of farmers, of carpenters and of high school teachers.

Entire communities, villages and stretches of towns across northern Syria tell us that they have not seen the presence of central Syrian government authority in months.

They have been effectively governing themselves, and they have clearly established militias as well as pockets of what's been called the Free Syrian Army – defectors from the Syrian army who have joined these villages and rural communities in opposition to the Syrian government.
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It does appear that villages and towns in northern Syria have been, basically, out of government control for months now, except when government forces have tried to conduct deadly incursions into these towns that are temporary at best.
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An additional point that is fascinating is that these communities are now experimenting in self-rule. They're providing their own services to their communities – in many cases, hosting hundreds of defected.
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We've gotten one view of one of the largest cities in the region, the city of Idlib, and it's incredible.

There you could see a Syrian government flag prominently flying in the heart of the city, and less than a kilometer away, a Syrian opposition flag – of green, black and white – also flying in the heart of the city.

Syrian soldiers who they identify as the Free Syrian Army.
.....The inhabitants say they're enjoying what they say is self-rule, what they call pockets of liberated Syria, but they're fully aware the bulk of the Syrian army is being held down in the siege of the much larger city of Homs.

They say if that siege lifts and if the Syrian government forces are victorious there, that will free them up to attack these areas, and they warn that would lead to a massacre. http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/16/inside-syria-farmers-teachers-car
penters-armed-with-rifles-fear-massacre/?iref=allsearch

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