Syriaupdated 59m ago2 min read
Jordanian Border Guards Stop 14 Armed Individuals Crossing From Syria After Heavy Fire
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Fourteen armed individuals attempted to cross from Syria into Jordan and were stopped. Border guards engaged immediately with heavy gunfire, thwarting the infiltration under rules of engagement.
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Jordan stops 14
Jordanian border guards stopped a group of 14 armed individuals attempting to cross into northern Jordan from Syria, the Jordanian armed forces said in a statement on Saturday. The armed group tried to infiltrate on Friday under heavy fire and direct engagement, and the armed forces said the clashes caused numerous casualties among the armed group. The armed forces said the remaining members fled back into Syria after the border guards acted immediately and with full firmness in accordance with the rules of engagement.
Jordan’s military said the incident occurred only two days after Syria and Jordan reopened their only border crossing for passenger and commercial traffic. Jordan’s military also linked the heightened border tensions to Jordanian air strikes in southern Syria that Syrian authorities said killed seven civilians, including three children, a woman and an elderly man.
Firefight and claims
Jordan’s armed forces said border guard units acted immediately and decisively, in accordance with established rules of engagement, after the group tried to infiltrate under heavy covering fire. The National said the military statement did not clarify whether the injured gunmen were taken captive, while Jordan’s armed forces said several members of the armed group were injured and others fled back into Syrian territory. Jordan’s armed forces statement on Saturday stopped a group of 14 armed individuals attempting to cross into northern Jordan from Syria, Hespress reported.
Jordan’s Armed Forces said two ISIS members were killed in the strikes that targeted hideouts of militants linked to the Karak Church shooting, and it said the air strikes were carried out on Monday in the southern Syrian provinces of Daraa and Sweida. The National said the air strikes sparked a diplomatic dispute, and it added that the two countries agreed to establish a joint security committee to investigate the strikes and strengthen intelligence and security co-operation against militant threats.
What is at stake
Jordan’s military source said the Jordanian army dealt with the infiltration attempt according to established Rules of Engagement, inflicting numerous human losses on the armed group while the remaining members fled toward Syrian depth.
The National said the strikes that preceded the border clash were aimed at hideouts of militants linked to the Karak Church shooting, in which gunmen opened fire on a funeral procession, killing nine people and wounding at least 30 others.
Jordan’s Armed Forces said the operation was carried out in retaliation for martyrs who fell in the attack on the Hamoud Church in al-Karak on Friday, Oct. 23.
Hespress reported the armed forces statement as the basis for Jordan’s claim that the group of 14 was stopped, while Arab News PK described the same event as an attempted infiltration from Syria that resulted in casualties among the armed group.
The National said Jordan and Syria agreed to set up a joint security committee to investigate the strikes and strengthen intelligence and security co-operation against militant threats, as border tensions remained heightened.