Special to WorldTribune.com

AMMAN — Jordan and Syria have been fighting along their mutual
border.

Jordanian officials said the armies of Jordan and Syria were engaged in nearly daily battles along the border in August. They said the clashes stemmed from attempts by the Syrian Army to prevent suspected Sunni rebels from fleeing to the Hashemite kingdom.

“The Syrian Army has been firing mortars into Jordan,” an official said.

The clashes between Jordanian and Syrian forces took place nearly every day over the last week. On Aug. 11, both sides exchanged artillery and other heavy weapons fire.

Officials said the Syrian Army was believed to have been ordered to stop the flow of refugees to Jordan. They said Syria opened fire toward Jordanian Army border positions near Tel Shehab.

The Jordanian government has denied reports of frequent clashes with the
regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. But officials as well as security
forces acknowledged the battles and said the kingdom sought NATO help to
bolster border protection.

“There might have been some shooting while Jordanian soldiers try to
protect Syrian refugees trying to cross from the Syrian side into Jordan,”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said.

  Bashar Assad, Hashemite kingdom, Jordan denies reports of daily battles with Syria along border, Nasser Judeh, Syria firing mortars into Jordan