"Jordan Islamists to boycott elections" July 14, 2012
AMMAN, Jordan — The powerful Muslim Brotherhood said Friday it will boycott upcoming parliamentary elections in protest....
A boycott would deal a blow to King Abdullah II, who has made his reform campaign the centerpiece of efforts to stave off protests similar to those that toppled other Middle East rulers.
Islamists have made gains all over the region and show increasing strength in Jordan, where regular street protests over the past 18 months have called for wider public participation in politics and restrictions on the king’s absolute powers....
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Related: Jordanians call for elections boycott
"Jordanian police kill one, arrest 13 in raids on alleged gun, drug traffickers" August 02, 2012
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanian police raided the hideouts of alleged weapon and drug traffickers on Wednesday, sparking rare gun battles in the kingdom’s normally peaceful capital in which one of the suspects was killed, officials said.
That's what happens when you move weapons to Syria.
At least two officers were wounded and 13 other suspects were arrested in the raids.
A police statement described the group as a ‘‘terror cell,’’ but also said the suspects were stockpiling large amounts of arms for sale on the black market.
It did not say if they had any ideological or organization affiliation, nor if they were involved in planning any attacks....
Translation: It was a rebel pipeline.
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"Rebel fighters give ground to Syrian troops in Aleppo" by Dalal Mawad and Damien Cave | New York Times, August 09, 2012
BEIRUT — In Jordan, the state news agency reported that Syria’s prime minister, Riad Farid Hijab, completed his widely reported defection by arriving in Jordan early Wednesday morning — not Monday, as Jordanian officials and Syrian rebels and activists had all initially reported.
Jordanian officials did not respond to requests for comment on the discrepancy, but analysts said Jordan either lied initially to confuse the Syrian government and protect Hijab from capture at the border, or is changing its story now to minimize its own role in the original defection, to maintain its public stance of neutrality....
Neither one is good -- al to maintain the fiction of neutrality.
Neither one is good -- al to maintain the fiction of neutrality.
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Related: Jordan thwarts Al Qaeda-linked plot
Coincidence?
"Islamic extremists attacked Jordanian soldiers on the border with Syria. Samih Maayta, the Jordanian communication minister, said eight militants attacked a military position with heavy arms Sunday night. Maayta described them as extremist Salafis, a group banned in Jordan that promotes an ultraconservative brand of Islam. Two hours after the attack, an additional five men suspected of ties to Al Qaeda tried to penetrate the border and clashed with soldiers, Maayta said."
"Jordan has been facilitating arms shipments and hosting training camps for Syrian rebels since last October."
They thwarted an "Al-CIA-Duh" attack, 'eh?
"Jordanian ex-spy chief gets 13 years in prison" Associated Press, November 12, 2012
AMMAN, Jordan — A Jordanian criminal court sentenced the kingdom’s former intelligence chief to 13 years and three months in prison on Sunday for embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, and abuse of office.
It was the harshest sentence in years against such a high-profile personality in Jordan....
The rare case against a senior official is meant to show Jordan’s seriousness in efforts to tackle graft and corruption — a demand expressed during recent street protests.
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Didn't help:
"Jordan hit by 2nd day of violent street protests" by Jamal Halaby | Associated Press, November 15, 2012
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordanians hurled stones at riot police and chanted unprecedented slogans against the monarchy for a second day Wednesday as growing anger over price increases threatened to plunge the US-allied kingdom into a wave of unrest.
So far, King Abdullah II has steered his nation clear of the Arab Spring that has swept across the region, toppling the rulers of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen along the way. But Jordan’s massive budget deficit and other economic woes could increasingly push the population into the opposition’s camp.
Tensions rose late Tuesday after the government raised prices for cooking and heating gas by 54 percent to rein in a bulging budget deficit and secure a $2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.
Yeah, turns out people everywhere don't want austerity so bankers can get paid.
Minutes after state television announced the increase, several thousand Jordanians poured into the streets across the country, pelting police with stones, torching government offices and private cars, and chanting slogans against the king.
‘‘I like the king, but so what?’’ asked civil servant Daoud Shorfat, 29, one of some 300 protesters in central Amman on Wednesday who police dispersed with tear gas and water cannons. ‘‘He can’t feel our pain. . . . He is watching the government raising the prices, while the people are barely able to feed their hungry children.’’
Related:
Jordan King Getting Jumpy
Jordanian Jolt
Jordan's King Losing His Grip
All leaders are the same!
Violent demonstrations broke out across the rest of the country Wednesday as well, hitting all 12 of Jordan’s governorates, police said. Police said at least 120 people were arrested nationwide.
In the city of Salt, protesters unsuccessfully tried to storm the residence of the Jordanian prime minister, while in the city of Maan, demonstrators fired in the air to force riot police out of town, wounding one officer, police said.
Some 2,000 protesters in the city of Karak shouted ‘‘Down, down with you, Abullah,’’ and ‘‘Get out and leave us alone’’ as they marched through the town, eyewitnesses and police said.
Jordan has been hit by frequent, but small, antigovernment protests over the past 23 months, but these demonstrations have shifted the focus from the government squarely to the king.
The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, Jordan’s most powerful opposition group, called the protests ‘‘a wake-up call to the king to avoid a replica of the violence in Egypt and Tunisia.’’
‘‘The street is seething with anger and an explosion is coming,’’ Zaki Bani Irsheid said. ‘‘We want to create a Jordanian Spring with a local flavor — meaning reforms in the system while keeping our protests peaceful.’’
The Brotherhood, which has spearheaded the protest movement in the past, has harnessed anger over the price increases to form a loose — and temporary — alliance with Arab nationalists and Marxist and communist groups. The umbrella recently has expanded to include the militant Salafis and the largely secular protest movement, known as Hirak and composed primarily of young people.
Translation: it's everyone.
The riots are reminiscent of those in 1988 and 1996 over similar increases on the price of bread and other food commodities under Abdullah’s late father, King Hussein. At the time, Hussein was forced to introduce swift changes that ushered in Jordan’s first parliamentary elections after a 22-year gap, an end to martial law, and the renewal of a multiparty system that had been banned for decades.
Jordanian political commentator Osama al-Sharif said the new wave of protests pose a ‘‘serious challenge, probably the most crucial since [Abdullah] became king’’ in 1999.
The 50-year-old king has been fighting to fend off a host of domestic challenges, including a Muslim Brotherhood boycott of parliamentary elections, increasing opposition from his traditional Bedouin allies, and an inability to keep the Syrian civil war from spilling over the border.
Maybe if he stopped participating in it.
So far, Abdullah has largely maintained control, partly by relinquishing some of his powers to Parliament and amending the country’s 60-year-old constitution. His Western-trained security forces have been able to keep protests from getting out of hand. And most in the opposition remains loyal to the king, pressing for changes but not his removal.
The country’s economic woes have added to the crush of challenges, and they show no sign of easing.
Jordan’s budget deficit is expected to reach a year-end record of $3 billion, while foreign debt is expected to jump 27 percent to $27 billion this year as the country grapples with rising poverty, unemployment, and inflation.
Those are not good combinations.
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"Angry Jordanian protesters urge ouster of king" by Jamal Halaby | Associated Press, November 17, 2012
AMMAN, Jordan — Calls for the ouster of Jordan’s King Abdullah II grew Friday, as thousands of protesters packed the streets of the capital and demonstrations resumed elsewhere.
Larger groups have demonstrated in Amman since the unrest sparked by fuel price increases began three days ago, but Friday’s march was the biggest single bloc yet to call for the end of the US-backed monarchy.
Jordan, a key US ally, has so far weathered nearly two years of Arab unrest that has seen longtime rulers toppled in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Tunisia. Its own street protests calling for political reforms have largely been peaceful and rarely targeted Abdullah himself.
Protests across Jordan turned unusually violent earlier this week, with one person killed and 75 others, including 58 policemen, injured. But overall turnout Friday was smaller than in past days....
Agent provocateurs behind the violence. Who benefits?
The protesters, frustrated about a sharp increase in fuel and gas prices, were led by a hodgepodge of activists that included the largely secular Hirak youth movement, the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, and various nationalist and left-wing groups. Jordan is plagued by poverty, unemployment, and high inflation.
‘‘I already can barely feed my 4 children with my monthly wage of $500, how can I afford this price increase?’’ asked Thaer Mashaqbeh, 47, a civil servant protesting in central Amman....
The government has defended the price increases, saying they were necessary to reduce a massive budget deficit and foreign debt — part of Jordan’s efforts to secure a badly needed $2 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to shore up the kingdom’s shaky finances.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the fuel price hikes are needed to address Jordan’s fiscal woes and the terms of its IMF accord. ‘‘There is always some pain that comes with these things,’’ she told reporters. ‘‘But it’s a necessary pain in this case.’’
UN-F***ING-REAL
Nuland stressed that Jordan’s case differs from other Arab countries that have seen governments toppled by popular unrest in the last two years. ‘‘The tactical situation is considerably different,’’ she said.
Similar sentiments were echoed by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in a phone call with Abdullah about the protests. A spokeswoman said she commended Jordan’s government for trying to address the country’s economic challenges and showing a commitment to reform.
Translation: the U.S. is not behind these protests.
Despite the appearance of counterprotesters, Jordanian authorities reported no clashes in the 10 demonstrations that took place across the country Friday. Police and independent observers said 7,000 people took to the street nationwide, compared with 12,000 Tuesday.
Thousands of government loyalists had taken to the streets nationwide to support the king, threatening his critics....
About 2,000 Palestinian refugees living in squalid settlements protested the price hike for a second consecutive day. Some in the three settlements — two of which are in the capital — threw stones at police, prompting volleys of tear gas.
The unrest in Jordan began late Tuesday when the government raised prices for cooking and heating gas by 54 percent and some oil derivatives by up to 28 percent. In response, thousands of Jordanians poured into the streets, pelting riot police with stones and torching police cars, government offices, and private banks in the largest and most sustained protests to hit the country since the start of the region’s uprisings nearly two years ago.
Police say “outlaws” with criminal records used the disorder to rob banks and homes, attack police stations, courts, and other government sites, and carry out carjackings. At least 157 people have been arrested since Tuesday.
Jordan has been hit by frequent, but small, antigovernment protests in the past 23 months, but this week’s demonstrations have shifted the focus from the government squarely to the king. So far, Abdullah has largely maintained control, partly by relinquishing some of his powers to Parliament and amending several laws guaranteeing wider public freedoms.
But his opponents say the reforms are insufficient, and the violent protests Tuesday and Wednesday indicated many in Jordan are growing frustrated with the government’s inability to address a host of troubles, primarily unemployment and poverty.
Yeah, that inequality think really sucks.
--more--"
And where was the king? He was on vacation.
"Jordan calm for now, but new storms loom" by Joby Warrick | Washington Post, November 23, 2012
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan had seen scores of antigovernment protests, but nothing like this: For three straight nights last week, mobs angered over rising fuel prices rampaged through a half-dozen cities, torching cars and police stations and rekindling fears that one of America’s closest Arab allies in the Middle East was foundering.
Then, almost as suddenly, the storm appeared to pass. Weekend demonstrations in Amman drew smaller crowds, and by Monday, officials were quietly celebrating signs of normality after the worst unrest here in 15 years.
‘‘It will be hot for a while,’’ said a senior security official, insisting on anonymity to discuss intelligence assessments of the uprising’s trajectory. ‘‘But we see things calming down, gradually.’’
Just how calm, and for how long, remains to be seen. A week after the disturbances began, new protests are flaring up daily in Jordan’s capital, though most have been orderly, with participants numbering in the low hundreds. Government officials, meanwhile, are bracing for more economic turmoil in the coming weeks....
Yet Western and Jordanian officials alike expressed confidence this week that Jordan’s government had successfully weathered the most serious challenge to its survival since the start of the Arab Spring movement nearly two years ago. With the protests seemingly contained for now, Jordanian officials were fielding new offers of aid from Persian Gulf states while handing out cash payments to ease the pain of price increases among the poor and working class....
The government’s decision to cut fuel subsidies on Nov. 13 sent tens of thousands into the streets across Jordan, triggering violent clashes as well as unprecedented calls for the overthrow of King Abdullah II, the country’s monarch. Rioting Jordanians set fire to government buildings, and some fired guns at police in melees that left one protester dead and wounded scores of people, including more than 50 police officers.
Yet ardor for revolution faded — temporarily, at least — as the country’s main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, distanced itself from demands to end the monarchy. Jordanian officials have accused the religious group of attempting to leverage public furor over price increases into a broader uprising.
‘‘We are against calls for regime change,’’ said Hamzah Mansour, leader of the Brotherhood’s political arm, which toned down its rhetoric against the government after protests turned unexpectedly violent last week. ‘‘We have called, and always will call, for regime reform and democratic reforms.’’
I haven't heard any for it.
Jordanian officials and many independent observers attributed the easing tensions to the country’s security forces, which they say acted with restraint in tolerating peaceful protests while keeping violence from spreading. They also cited the government’s decision to make quick cash payments to millions of poorer Jordanians affected by the subsidy cuts....
The widespread violence also appears to have shocked many ordinary Jordanians, including many who support the demonstrators’ calls for political change. Judeh, the foreign minister, described last week’s violence as an aberration, out of character with what he described as a Jordanian tradition for tolerance and evolutionary change.
‘‘We don’t loot; we don’t burn tires,’’ Judeh said. ‘‘We’ve set a fantastic example, especially over the last two years responding to the Arab Spring, with peaceful demonstrations, freedom of expression, and in the way the security services responded.’’
Judeh acknowledged a ‘‘feeling of anger’’ that underlay the protests. ‘‘It is an economic thing, but it will contain itself,’’ he said. ‘‘People will realize in the long term that what the government did was for the people’s benefit.’’
Oh, Lord, I'm sick of propaganda!
Yet, amid the sighs of relief in Amman were new warnings about the formidable challenges facing Jordan, which has long been regarded as a pillar of stability in the Middle East as one of only two Arab countries with diplomatic ties to Israel.
Yeah, they don't want to lose this guy.
The cuts in fuel subsidies that triggered the protests were among several emergency measures intended to stop the country’s fiscal hemorrhaging.
The resource-poor kingdom has struggled for years with inadequate supplies of energy and water, and its economy has been pummeled by the global economic downturn as well as a massive influx of refugees from neighboring Syria.
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"Jordan’s Islamists, opposition rally against vote" by Dale Gavlak | Associated Press, January 19, 2013
AMMAN, Jordan — Hundreds of Jordanian Islamists, youth activists, and other opposition groups rallied Friday in Amman, calling for a boycott of next week’s parliamentary elections.
The demonstration came just five days before the vote, which will for the first time see a prime minister emerge from among the winning candidates rather than by appointment by the king. King Abdullah II has said the elections crown two years of reforms he initiated to stave off massive Arab Spring-type of protests that have already toppled four longtime rulers in the region.
Friday’s peaceful demonstration drew about 1,300 Muslim Brotherhood members and others united in the boycott campaign and in demands that the king cede some of his powers and give Parliament more say in the country.
Holding up small yellow cards mimicking a judge’s warning to players in soccer games, the protesters chanted: ‘‘Freedom, freedom. This is not a royal gift, but our right.’’
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Also see: The nimble king
He better be.
"Jordanians hold parliamentary election" by Kareem Fahim | New York Times, January 24, 2013
AMMAN, Jordan — King Abdullah II, a close ally of the United States, is relying on the elections to quiet his critics and has promised that the contest could usher in the formation of strong political parties and allow the public a greater say in the selection of the government.
I smell a rigging!
King Abdullah’s critics have dismissed the vote as an attempt by him to avoid yielding any measure of his absolute powers and say it is likely to contribute to a spreading sense of political alienation.
The country’s main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Islamic Action Front, boycotted the vote, increasing the chances that the election would be followed by more unrest. The Brotherhood and other groups which did not vote complained about an election law that under-represents the kingdom’s majority citizens of Palestinian origin, favoring members of tribes loyal to the king.
At several polling stations in Amman, the capital, campaign workers said turnout was light but that they expected larger numbers later Wednesday, a holiday.
By early afternoon, the election commission’s spokesman, Hussein Bani Hani, said turnout had reached 24 percent of the roughly 2.3 million registered voters, according to the Petra news agency....
Before the vote, many Jordanians complained about the numbers of familiar faces among the candidates, members of previous, feeble legislatures who came to power in elections widely viewed as rigged.
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"Jordan king’s critics gain in elections" by Jamal Halaby and Dale gavlak | Associated Press, January 25, 2013
AMMAN, Jordan — Thirty-seven Islamist and other government critics were victorious in parliamentary elections that were boycotted, injecting a degree of dissent into Jordan’s newly empowered Parliament. The king has portrayed the assembly as a centerpiece of his reform package, but the opposition says it’s not enough and vowed Thursday to stage more street protests.
Initial results released Thursday showed the Islamists — who are not linked to the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — and other opposition figures winning more than 25 percent of the 150-seat Parliament, in sharp contrast to the outgoing legislature, which was almost entirely composed of the king’s supporters.
Loyalists of King Abdullah II, however, will remain in control of the new legislature, claiming a majority of the seats up for grabs in Wednesday’s parliamentary election — touted as the start of a democratization process that will see the monarch, a close US ally, gradually hand over some of his absolute powers to lawmakers.
The new Parliament will choose the prime minister and be responsible for running much of the country’s day to-day affairs.
Foreign policy and security matters remain in the hands of Abdullah.
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Elections over:
"The German news magazine Der Spiegel, quoting participants, reported this week that US trainers are showing rebels how to use the antitank weapons at a camp in Jordan."
That was in March!
"Foreign aid and training of rebels in Jordan ramping up could unleash lawlessness on Jordan’s northern border and send jitters across the kingdom, a key US ally which fears Islamic extremist groups on its doorstep."
But they don't fear 'em in country, 'eh?
"Jordan’s king warns Syria may become a jihadist state" by Jamal Halaby | Associated Press, March 21, 2013
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s king warned Wednesday that a jihadist state could emerge on his northern border in Syria with Islamist extremists trying to establish a foothold in the neighboring country.
Yeah, thanks to you!
King Abdullah II, a key US ally, said in an interview that in his view, Syrian President Bashar Assad was beyond rehabilitation and it was only a matter of time before his authoritarian regime collapses.
He got that wrong.
But he said he opposed foreign military intervention.
As he helps intervene.
‘‘The most worrying factors in the Syrian conflict are the issues of chemical weapons, the steady flow or sudden surge in refugees, and a jihadist state emerging out of the conflict,’’ the king said. See:
Yeah, turns out it was the rebels that used them -- apparently supplied by Qatar.
He said it costs his cash-strapped nation $550 million annually to host an estimated 500,000 Syrian refugees — about nine percent of Jordan’s population of 6 million. He said most have crossed in the last 12 months.
The government says they have strained the country’s meager resources, including health care and education, and forced the budget deficit to a record high of $3 billion last year.
There is also concern that agents linked to Assad or his militant Lebanese ally Hezbollah has formed sleeper cells in Jordan to destabilize the country.
Uh-huh.
Nevertheless, Abdullah said he was against any foreign military intervention in Syria, including setting up a safe zone for the refugees inside the country.
‘‘Jordan works within Arab consensus and international consensus and legalities. I am totally against sending Jordanian troops inside Syria and this has always been Jordanian policy. I am also against any foreign military intervention in Syria.’’
Previously, Abdullah warned that Syria’s chemical weapons could fall into the hands of militants, who are seeking to establish a presence in Syria.
Already did. Were given to them.
From there, they could be used against Syria’s neighbors, including Jordan — a strong US ally that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.
He warned that radicalization of Syria, together with the deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, could ignite the entire region.
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And the refugees pour in:
"Second camp for Syrian refugees opens in Jordan" by Dale Gavlak | Associated Press, April 11, 2013
MRAJEEB AL-FHOOD, Jordan — Struggling to cope with an influx of Syrian refugees, Jordan opened a second camp on Wednesday for Syrians fleeing the civil war at home.
The kingdom has sheltered nearly half a million refugees who escaped the two-year conflict, but officials fear that the number could double in the next six months as the fighting escalates.
Since the beginning of the year, 1,500 to 2,000 Syrians have been pouring into Jordan daily. Jordan was initially reluctant to set up refugee camps, possibly to avoid angering Syrian President Bashar Assad’s autocratic regime by showing images at his doorstep of civilians fleeing his military onslaught against them.
But last summer, Jordan opened the Zaatari refugee camp close to the Syrian border. And on Wednesday, a second desert camp — this one funded by the United Arab Emirates and run by its Red Crescent Society — opened its doors in Mrajeeb al-Fhood, about 23 miles from the border.
One of the first to enter was Ahmed al-Hassan, 30, a butcher who fled Syria with his wife and two young sons. He said it took them four days to reach Jordan after escaping the Baba Amr neighborhood in the central city of Homs.
They traveled on foot, at first along Syria’s border with Iraq, hitching rides and occasionally hiding in shops to escape government forces. Behind them, Hassan said, they left a wasteland that was recently recaptured by Assad’s troops.
‘‘There is nothing left there,’’ said Hassan, hugging his sons.
The rest of the family stayed behind in Baba Amr.
‘‘The Syrian military destroyed homes and buildings,’’ Hassan said. “The dead have been left to rot in the streets.’’
Other refugees appeared too frightened to speak to journalists, but the children quickly became cheerful after Emirati Red Crescent workers distributed food, colorful building blocks, and other plastic toys.
Majed Sultan bin Sulieman, the society’s relief director at the camp, said Mrajeeb al-Fhood will initially host 5,000 refugees but can be expanded to about 25,000 residents — all living in trailers.
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Related:
"Foreign aid and training of rebels in Jordan ramping up could unleash lawlessness on Jordan’s northern border and send jitters across the kingdom, a key US ally which fears Islamic extremist groups on its doorstep."
"US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that Washington has sent troops to the Jordan-Syria border to help build a headquarters in Jordan and bolster that country’s military capabilities in the event that violence escalates along its border with Syria. The revelation raises the possibility of an escalation in the US military involvement in the conflict, even as Washington pushes back on any suggestion of a direct intervention in Syria."
Also see: Jordan says 900 US troops boost defense in country
But they don't fear 'em in country, 'eh?
"Jordan’s king warns Syria may become a jihadist state" by Jamal Halaby | Associated Press, March 21, 2013
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s king warned Wednesday that a jihadist state could emerge on his northern border in Syria with Islamist extremists trying to establish a foothold in the neighboring country.
Yeah, thanks to you!
King Abdullah II, a key US ally, said in an interview that in his view, Syrian President Bashar Assad was beyond rehabilitation and it was only a matter of time before his authoritarian regime collapses.
He got that wrong.
But he said he opposed foreign military intervention.
As he helps intervene.
‘‘The most worrying factors in the Syrian conflict are the issues of chemical weapons, the steady flow or sudden surge in refugees, and a jihadist state emerging out of the conflict,’’ the king said. See:
Yeah, turns out it was the rebels that used them -- apparently supplied by Qatar.
He said it costs his cash-strapped nation $550 million annually to host an estimated 500,000 Syrian refugees — about nine percent of Jordan’s population of 6 million. He said most have crossed in the last 12 months.
The government says they have strained the country’s meager resources, including health care and education, and forced the budget deficit to a record high of $3 billion last year.
There is also concern that agents linked to Assad or his militant Lebanese ally Hezbollah has formed sleeper cells in Jordan to destabilize the country.
Uh-huh.
Nevertheless, Abdullah said he was against any foreign military intervention in Syria, including setting up a safe zone for the refugees inside the country.
‘‘Jordan works within Arab consensus and international consensus and legalities. I am totally against sending Jordanian troops inside Syria and this has always been Jordanian policy. I am also against any foreign military intervention in Syria.’’
Previously, Abdullah warned that Syria’s chemical weapons could fall into the hands of militants, who are seeking to establish a presence in Syria.
Already did. Were given to them.
From there, they could be used against Syria’s neighbors, including Jordan — a strong US ally that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.
He warned that radicalization of Syria, together with the deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, could ignite the entire region.
--more--"
And the refugees pour in:
"Second camp for Syrian refugees opens in Jordan" by Dale Gavlak | Associated Press, April 11, 2013
MRAJEEB AL-FHOOD, Jordan — Struggling to cope with an influx of Syrian refugees, Jordan opened a second camp on Wednesday for Syrians fleeing the civil war at home.
The kingdom has sheltered nearly half a million refugees who escaped the two-year conflict, but officials fear that the number could double in the next six months as the fighting escalates.
Since the beginning of the year, 1,500 to 2,000 Syrians have been pouring into Jordan daily. Jordan was initially reluctant to set up refugee camps, possibly to avoid angering Syrian President Bashar Assad’s autocratic regime by showing images at his doorstep of civilians fleeing his military onslaught against them.
But last summer, Jordan opened the Zaatari refugee camp close to the Syrian border. And on Wednesday, a second desert camp — this one funded by the United Arab Emirates and run by its Red Crescent Society — opened its doors in Mrajeeb al-Fhood, about 23 miles from the border.
One of the first to enter was Ahmed al-Hassan, 30, a butcher who fled Syria with his wife and two young sons. He said it took them four days to reach Jordan after escaping the Baba Amr neighborhood in the central city of Homs.
They traveled on foot, at first along Syria’s border with Iraq, hitching rides and occasionally hiding in shops to escape government forces. Behind them, Hassan said, they left a wasteland that was recently recaptured by Assad’s troops.
‘‘There is nothing left there,’’ said Hassan, hugging his sons.
The rest of the family stayed behind in Baba Amr.
‘‘The Syrian military destroyed homes and buildings,’’ Hassan said. “The dead have been left to rot in the streets.’’
Other refugees appeared too frightened to speak to journalists, but the children quickly became cheerful after Emirati Red Crescent workers distributed food, colorful building blocks, and other plastic toys.
Majed Sultan bin Sulieman, the society’s relief director at the camp, said Mrajeeb al-Fhood will initially host 5,000 refugees but can be expanded to about 25,000 residents — all living in trailers.
--more--"
Related:
"Foreign aid and training of rebels in Jordan ramping up could unleash lawlessness on Jordan’s northern border and send jitters across the kingdom, a key US ally which fears Islamic extremist groups on its doorstep."
"US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that Washington has sent troops to the Jordan-Syria border to help build a headquarters in Jordan and bolster that country’s military capabilities in the event that violence escalates along its border with Syria. The revelation raises the possibility of an escalation in the US military involvement in the conflict, even as Washington pushes back on any suggestion of a direct intervention in Syria."
Also see: Jordan says 900 US troops boost defense in country
