Chief of Staff of the Jordanian armed forces Lt. General Mashal Zabin visited army locations on the country’s border with Syria, following public calls for a Jordanian incursion into Syrian territory after the border area was recently targeted by daily rocket attacks.
Round-the-clock media reports of heightened military activity on the Syrian-Jordanian border coincides with meetings held yesterday at the US Embassy in Amman to secure logistical support for the possible move. Information obtained by Okaz confirms Jordan aims to justify an incursion into Syria citing daily attacks on the border town of Ramtha, which have injured a number of Jordanian citizens.
According to Jordanian political sources, multiple reasons have forced Amman to consider establishing a buffer zone; namely, to protect the cities and villages along the border of any threat, to reduce the flow of refugees to Jordan and establish camps within the buffer zone, and to continue the training of Syrian opposition forces against ISIS. Although Amman faces local parliamentary opposition against the proposal, parliament member Mohammed Falah al-Abadi believes a secure cross-border buffer zone is possible, but wonders about the dangers and risks it may carry to Jordan, especially along the border region.
"The issue is not as easy as some think, going beyond the Jordanian border means the actual entry in the war", the MP said, adding that the rocket attacks on Ramtha is not a sufficient justification, as rocket fire is often indiscriminate and sometimes accidental.
Translated and edited by The Syrian Observer
