Jordan denies Syrian rebels operate from its territory

Jordan maintains tight control over its borders with Syria, said Amman Saturday, in response to calls by Syrian FM for international community to "stop insurgents' flow" from Jordan and Turkey.

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

27 December, 2015

Syrian opposition fighters seized Nasib, the last regime-held border crossing with Jordan, in April [Anadolu]

Jordan has rejected allegations made by the Syrian regime that rebels are free to operate on its border with Syria.

Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem last week alleged that world powers should focus their efforts on preventing fighters from infiltrating Syria from Turkey and Jordan, as part of a peace settlement with the Syrian opposition.

However Jordan has said its borders are "sealed and guarded".

"Such allegations are totally rejected because Jordan has been protecting its borders since the start of the Syrian crisis nearly five years ago," said Mohammad al-Momani, Jordan's media minister and government spokesperson.

Jordan denied recent accusations by Syria that insurgents continue to flow from its borders to fight in the war-torn nation

He added that Jordan has never interfered in the internal affairs of Syria, and has looked for a political solution to end war in its neighbour's country.

Damascus has often accused Amman of supporting Syrian rebels, particularly in the south where local fighters often have family members on the Jordanian side of the border.

The rebel-aligned Southern Front has long been reported to coordinate with a Military Operations Command (MOC) in Jordan.

This a centre allegedly staffed by Western, Gulf and Jordanian military advisers providing planning, logistical support, funding and weapons to the Syrian rebels.

Amman denies the existence of the MOC despite multiple reports of its activities in support of Syrian rebels

After Russian intervention in Syria, Jordan is said to have scaled down its support for Syrian rebels.

Jordan was tasked with drafting a list of terrorist and moderate groups fighting in Syria, as part of efforts by global powers to find a solution to the five-year war.

This added weight to the view of Amman's involvement - in some capacity - in the Syria conflict.

The kingdom is also part of the US-led anti-IS coalition and has carried out air sorties over Syria and Iraq. The country also hosts up to 1 million Syrian refugees.