Syria refugees kept behind fences amid Jordan security fears

AZRAQ REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan — A barbed wire-topped fence encircles a section of a bleak UN-run camp, isolating thousands of recent arrivals — whom Jordan considers a potential security risk — from other Syrian refugees.

This camp-within-a-camp, called “Village 5,” was set up in late March as part of an uneasy trade-off between Jordan and international aid agencies trying to speed up admission of tens of thousands of refugees stranded in remote desert areas on the kingdom’s border.

Under the deal, Jordan agreed to let in about 300 Syrians a day, or five times more than before, on condition that newcomers are isolated in Azraq for more security checks. Jordan says strict vetting is crucial to prevent Islamic State extremists, who control large areas of Syria, from infiltrating the kingdom.

In turn, aid agencies agreed to put traumatized war survivors behind barbed wire, if only temporarily.

Yet neither side expects the new admissions deal to empty out two rapidly growing encampments on the Syrian-Jordanian border. Instead, the population there — currently at 64,000, half of them children — is expected to reach 100,000 by the end of the year if fighting in Syria continues.

— AP