(Financial Times-UK) Sam Jones and Roula Khalaf - Jordan is preparing to set up a security zone in southern Syria to prevent a jihadi victory in the area, carving out a humanitarian "buffer zone" for rebels and refugees. The main aim will be to create a safe area on Jordan's border, stretching across the southern Syrian provinces of Deraa and Suwayda, and including the city of Deraa, according to people familiar with the plans. Jordan's hand is being forced by the shifting military situation inside Syria, and concerns that the Islamic State could grab territory on its border and threaten the Hashemite state. Assad regime forces are currently under pressure in the city of Deraa, and are likely to withdraw in the coming days before the narrow corridor they control, which currently connects the city to Damascus, is cut off.
2015-06-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive