A gigantic refugee camp in Jordan has become an “imminent threat” after Islamic State cells started to emerge.
Some 80,000 people are trapped inside the Al Rukban refugee camp by the Syrian border after Jordanian military cut off humanitarian assistance last summer. ISIS militants at the camp “have whole weapons systems … small arms, RPGs, anti-aircraft,” Brig. Gen. Sami Kafawin of the Jordanian army told NBC News in an article published Monday.
“They consider the camp a safe haven. We consider it an imminent threat,” Kafawin told NBC News.
Authorities estimate as many as 4,000 residents, about 5 percent of the camp’s population, may be militants. The area has been struck by several attacks and almost daily gun battles after the government lost control, according to Kafawin.
The military abandoned the camp after seven border guards were killed and another 13 were wounded in an ISIS-claimed car bombing last June.
“Most likely they targeted this particular spot because they thrive on creating divisions within society and want to wreak havoc,” a security official told AFP after the attack.
Jordan is a key ally in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. President Donald Trump has called for “safe zones” in the region to curb the flow of refugees — a topic he discussed April 5 in a meeting with Jordan’s King Abdullah.
Kafawin said the only way to ensure the safety of refugees in such areas is by relying on U.S. support.
“[It]needs a lot of effort to do it, to maintain it, to secure it,” Kafawin told NBC News. “It’s difficult to protect. You need a no fly zone, you need 24-hour patrols and you need, for sure, ground forces.”
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