Jordan has declared the northern and northeastern borders as closed military zones as of today, according to a military source at the Jordan Armed Forces.
Military sources said that any movement of vehicles or individuals in the military zones without pre-coordinaiton will be firmly dealt with as enemy targets, Jordan’s official news agency, Petra, reported.
This new development came after a suicide attacker driving a truck packed with explosives barreled through Syria’s border with Jordan on Tuesday, setting off a blast that killed six members of the Jordanian security forces and wounded 14, Petra quoted Government spokesman Mohammed Momani as saying.
Momani added that there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assault.
The military sources said Tuesday’s explosion went off at 5:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) near an encampment for tens of thousands of Syrian refugees who are stranded in a remote area on the border and await entry into Jordan, Petrareported.
The attack targeted a military post serving Syrian refugees in an area known as Ruqban, the army said.
‘‘It was a suicide attack,’’ Momani told reporters. ‘‘It was a truck driven in a very fast speed, and it reached our side of the border and it ended up exploding with the driver inside.’’
A Ruqban resident said that sometime after 5 a.m., he saw a pickup truck speeding toward a Jordanian border gate and crashing through it. Seconds later, a blast went off, followed by the sound of shooting, said the resident, who spoke to The Associated Press over the phone from the area. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of repercussions from the authorities.
Cellphone photos from the camp show a cloud of gray smoke rising in the distance, with tents in the foreground.
Following the attack, Jordan’s King Abdullah II said that “Jordan will respond with an iron fist against anyone who tries to tamper with its security and borders,” Petra reported.
The King made the remarks as he visited the General Headquarters of the Jordan Armed Forces, where he chaired a meeting that was attended by top civil, military and security officials, according to Petra.
