Russia Accused of Airstrikes Near Syrian Refugee Camp

Strikes Near Camp Along Jordan Border Killed 12

The Free Syrian Army is accusing Russia of carrying out airstrikes near the Hadalat Refugee Camp, along the Syria-Jordan border. The strikes were said to have killed at least 12 people and injured “scores” of others.

Western officials said they were still gathering information on the incident, but said they’d heard it was the Russians who launched the strike. Russia’s Defense Ministry has offered no information, and such a strike would be unprecedented for them.

Casualty splits are unclear, but reports are that a number of the wounded, who were taking to Jordan for treatment, were members of the Asoud al-Sharqiya rebel group, one of the US-armed groups that operates out of Jordan.

The Hadalat camp itself is a makeshift camp for hundreds of would-be refugees stuck at the Jordan border when Jordan stopped letting people in. The Jordanian government has faced repeated pressure from the UN to allow humanitarian supplies across the border to them, though such deals have been intermittent, at best.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.