Syrian and Jordanian forces clash in border area
11 August Yahoo News
Fighting broke out between Jordanian and Syrian forces in a border
region between the two countries overnight, but a Jordanian source said
on Saturday no one on Jordan's side appeared to have been killed. A
Syrian opposition activist who witnessed the fighting said armored
vehicles were involved in the clash in the Tel Shihab-Turra area, about
80 km (50 miles) north of the Jordanian capital Amman, that occurred
after Syrian refugees tried to cross into Jordan.
"The Syrian side fired across the border and fighting ensued. Initial
reports indicate that there has been no one killed from the Jordanian
side," said the Jordanian source, speaking on condition of
anonymity.Jordanian troops have fired near the border in the past to
stop Syrians from shooting at fleeing refugees.
Western nations and regional powers fear the Syrian conflict could
spill into neighboring countries. The 17-month uprising has turned into
a civil war with a sectarian angle that has the West lining up with
Sunni Muslim nations behind the mainly Sunni rebels and against
President Bashar al-Assad, a member of the Alawite minority sect, an
offshoot of Shi'ite Islam.
Syria's long border with Jordan has been an escape route for
opponents of Assad, including Prime Minister Riad Hijab who defected
this week.In Syria's largest city and commercial hub Aleppo, rebels
fighting Assad's forces said they would hit back after losing ground
under heavy bombardment. Residents in the city of 2.5 million have been
fleeing in cars crammed with belongings.
The rebels have been pushed back from the Salaheddine district, which
controls the approach to the city. They surged into both Aleppo and the
capital Damascus last month in their boldest offensive of the uprising.
Assad's forces have repelled the rebels from Damascus, but are having
a harder time dislodging them from Aleppo."I have about 60 men
positioned strategically at the front line and we are preparing a new
attack today," said Abu Jamil, a rebel commander near Salaheddine.
Sniper fire had prevented his men from retrieving a comrade's body for
two days, he said.Reuters journalists saw residents stream from Aleppo
on Friday, seizing on a calm spell to pack vehicles with mattresses,
fridges and toys. At least two air force planes and a drone flew
overhead. Random shooting echoed from Salaheddine.
Some Salaheddine residents slipped back into the shattered
neighborhood to try to salvage possessions, despite army snipers. Two
civilians were hit by gunfire in nearby streets.One man with an apparent
gunshot wound was dragged off the street by rebels and treated by medics
before being taken to a field clinic.
A second man was wounded in the back and arm. Blood soaked through
the sleeve of his yellow jacket and his face was contorted in pain as
rescuers put him in a vehicle.In an apparent effort to project an air of
normalcy, state television screened footage dated August 10 of a calm
Aleppo, including images of its ancient citadel - a U.N. World Heritage
site - and cars flowing freely around a traffic circle.In Damascus,
residents reported shelling of the southeastern district of Shebaa and
said nine tanks could be seen on the road heading out to the airport.
Assad is trying to crush the revolt against his family's 42-year rule
in the pivotal Arab country.
His mostly Sunni foes are backed by Sunni-led states like Saudi
Arabia, Qatar and Turkey.The United States imposed another round of
sanctions on Friday that targeted Syria's state-run oil company Sytrol
for trading with Iran, and the Lebanese Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah
for aiding the Syrian government.
Repeated rounds of U.S. and European sanctions, announced every few
months, have had a negligible impact on the war. Russia and China have
blocked U.N. Security Council action that would have allowed tighter,
global sanctions against Damascus.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton will visit Turkey on Saturday, where she will discuss Syria with
Turkish officials.
Turkey, a NATO member and regional military power, has emerged as one
of the main opponents of Assad.
U.S. officials are particularly interested in Turkey's analysis of
the political forces emerging in Syria, hoping that together they can
puzzle out the complex patchwork of rebel groups jockeying for position.
Iran, Syria's closest foreign ally, called for "serious and
inclusive" talks between Assad's government and the opposition at a
meeting of countries sympathetic to Assad in Tehran on Thursday."There
will be no winner in Syria," U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said in
a message to the conference.
"Now, we face the grim possibility of long-term civil war destroying
Syria's rich tapestry of interwoven communities."Diplomats said veteran
Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi could be named next week to replace
the U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, who quit in frustration
after his peacemaking efforts proved futile.Brahimi said U.N. Security
Council states and regional powers needed to work together to bring
peace.
Assad's offensive to reassert control over Aleppo follows a
successful drive to expel rebels from parts of Damascus that they seized
after a bomb in the capital killed four of his senior aides on July 18. |