For the first time since the outbreak of civil war in Syria four years ago, on Wednesday Syrian rebels took control of the border crossing to Jordan, Israel Radio reported. Meanwhile, a group associated with the Islamic State stormed the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, a local Palestinian official told Ma’an.
The Yarmouk Army, a rebel groups that’s considered moderate, said its men had driven the Syrian army beyond the Nasib border crossing between Syria and Jordan, one of the busiest border crossings in Syria situated on the Damascus-Amman international highway. Syrian troops withdrew from the crossing and relocated to nearby army camp.
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ISIS fighters were reportedly in control of large areas of the camp south of the Syrian capital, one the largest population centers for Palestinian refugees in Syria, Ma’an reported.
“Fighters from ISIS launched an assault this morning on Yarmouk and they took over the majority of the camp, ” Anwar Abdel Hadi, director of political affairs for the Palestine Liberation Organization in Damascus, told Ma’an.
The takeover marks another blow to refugees in the camp, who have paid a heavy toll as a result of the conflict in Syria.
Many Palestinians living in Syria have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe in an effort to escape the conflict.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency reported last week that life for Palestinian refugees in Syria is becoming increasingly unsustainable, revealing that nine refugees drowned in March trying to reach Europe by boat.