Jordan tightens security along Syrian border

Hashemite king says refugees seeking asylum will still be permitted to enter

23 July 2012, 1:28 pm

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Syrian refugee children at a camp in Mafraq, near Jordan's northern border with Syria, in February (photo credit: CC-BY FreedomHouse, Flickr)

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan’s king said security along the country’s northern frontier had been tightened, but Syrian refugees fleeing violence would still be allowed to enter.

Abdullah II said at a Cabinet session late Sunday that government plans to protect the border were “moving in the right direction,” a Royal Court statement said, without providing details.

Government spokesman Sameeh Maaytah said the northern region was secured against “any infiltrations.”

Jordan hosts more than 140,000 Syrian refugees. It has been concerned about Syria’s civil war spilling across the border.

Its first refugee camp for Syrians coming from the north could be opened this week as numbers spike, UN refugee agency officials said.