Syrian Def Min visits Jordan for first time since civil war; discusses border stability

Syria’s defence minister Ali Ayyoub, on Sunday, visited Jordan to discuss stability on their mutual border, according to the country's officials. Speaking to his Jordanian counterpart, Lieutenant-General Yousef Hunaiti touched upon a diverse range of topics, including countering terrorism and drug trafficking along the 362 kilometre long border. The visit holds special significance as it marked the first time that the Syrian lawmakers visited Jordan since the beginning of a civil war between the country’s president Bashar al-Assad and rebel forces. Notably, Jordan supported rebels during the conflict. 

In a statement, the Jordanian army asserted that apart from cross border smuggling, the recent attack on Derra was also brought to the discussion table. Earlier, forces led by Syrian President al-Assad had launched an assault to recapture the southern city of Daraa al-Balad. However, the assault was foiled by rebels which immediately launched a counterattack and even captured some of the military personnel. It is worth noting that Daraa al-Balad is where the rebellion against the al-Assad regime first started. 

"The talks are within the concern to intensify future coordination over all common issues," a statement from Jordan's army said.

Syrian civil war

Bashar al-Assad triggered a bloody civil war in 2011 after he tried to suppress opposition to his authoritarian rule, which now extends to 21 years. While armed fighting has ended, government and militias continue to engage in a war of nerves and occasional assaults. With the coronavirus contagion wreaking havoc, the Syrian economy has plunged manifold, with roughly 80 per cent of the population living under the poverty line.

The pandemic has posed a challenging situation for countries all across the globe; however, for Syria, it has been a significant challenge with its economy and health care sector crippling due to the decade-long war-like situation. According to a tally by Worldometers, Syria has a total of 30,913 cases with 2,136 fatalities. 23,098 people have been recovered so far. However, with limited PCR tests being conducted, numbers are believed to be much higher, especially in regions of northern Syria, which is outside government control.

(With inputs from AP)

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