Jordan beefs up border security as Syrian troops gather near frontier
amman — Jordan’s army has sent reinforcements to its northern border with Syria as Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes appear poised to seize the main frontier crossing from rebels, officials said on Friday.
The army, which had deployed more armoured vehicles in the area, has set in motion “contingency plans to face any eventuality” as the Syrian government offensive closes in on the Nasib crossing, diplomatic sources said.
Reopening the crossing, a vital trade artery which has been in rebel hands since 2015, is a major objective of the Syrian government campaign that aims to recover the entire southwestern corner of Syria from rebel foes of President Bashar Al Assad.
But Jordan, a staunch ally of the United States, wants first to make sure that Assad’s Russian allies play a central role in stabilising southern Syria, fearing that any upheaval there will affect its own security, officials in Jordan said.
Jordan has always taken a cautious approach to the Syrian conflict that spiralled out of street protests against Assad’s rule in 2011.
Though Jordan was an important sponsor of rebels in the south, analysts said this support was always aimed primarily at safeguarding its border from security threats such as Daesh militants, not toppling Assad.
Amman has played a leading role in getting Syrian rebels to agree to terms of surrender that include stationing of Russian military police in the south. Rebels hope the Russians will guarantee the safety of civilians from state retribution.
An official said Jordan is favourable to a Russian military police presence on parts of the border to help exclude Iranian-backed militias that have been supporting Assad’s forces and which are seen as a menace by Amman. Witnesses said military vehicles flying Russian flags were spotted near the Nassib crossing on Friday.
The Syrian government campaign has created a new problem for Jordan in the shape of tens of thousands of civilians who have fled the offensive towards the border.
The United Nations has called on Jordan to open its border. Jordan, which is already hosting some 650,000 Syrian refugees, has refused so far, citing a combination of security and economic pressures. —