UNIPATH STAFF
As Daesh extremists are dislodged from strongholds in Iraq and Syria by military offensives, Jordan faces a growing threat to its border, according to Brig. Gen. Sami Kafawin, who commands Jordan’s border guard forces. He told reporters that he expects some Daesh fighters, increasingly on the defensive, to make their way to southern Syria and Jordan’s border.
In response, Jordan is deploying “more and more forces” at the border to safeguard against Daesh, he said. Having observed a “big difference” in threat levels over the past three years, the country’s military leaders have deployed nearly half of Jordan’s military along the Iraqi and Syrian border — a sharp increase from before the 2011 outbreak of the Syrian conflict.
Jordan is “effectively and actively” targeting Daesh in areas close to the border, said Col. Majdi Harasis of the Military Intelligence Directorate, after deploying forces to the bleak Syrian badia and to areas near the Jordanian border following anti-Daesh operations in Raqqa and Mosul.
One Daesh-affiliated group active near the border in early 2017 was the Khalid Ibn Al Walid Army, he added.
“In this area, there is no presence of the Syrian Army or its allies, and we have detected many threats from this terrorist group in the area. … They are constantly trying to monitor the movements of our Armed Forces at the border, and we are effectively monitoring them within the range of our fire,” Col. Harasis said.
The long border with Syria has increased the pressure on the Jordan Armed Forces. He noted that the military has two defensive lines at the border to thwart attacks and ensure a quick response. Sources: The Associated Press, Jordan Times