Jordan says it destroyed armored vehicles crossing from Syria

Border guards in the Hashemite kingdom have recently clashed with people attempting to cross into country

By AFP 16 April 2014, 2:21 pm

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Tanks belonging to government forces drive in al-Sarkhra village, in the Qalamun mountains, northeast of Damascus, after taking control of the village from rebel fighters, on April 14, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/STR)

Jordanian air force fighter jets destroyed a number of armored vehicles Wednesday as they tried to enter the kingdom from war-hit Syria by crossing the border, the army said.

“Royal air force jets fighters today destroyed a number of vehicles that attempted to cross into Jordan from Syria,” the army said in a brief statement, without elaborating.

An army spokesman declined to give any more details, while government officials were not immediately available for comment.

Jordan’s border guards in recent weeks clashed with and arrested several people as attempted to cross into the kingdom from Syria, where a conflict has been raging for more than three years.

The government in Damascus has regularly accused Jordan of assisting rebels fighting its forces.

But Amman denies the accusations, saying it has tightened control of the border and jailed dozens convicted of trying to cross the frontier illegally.