AMMAN, Jordan — Amman is blocking approximately 27,000 Syrian refugees from leaving a Jordanian desert area near the country’s northeast border, an international aid official citing Jordanian border guards told Al-Monitor. The number of Syrian refugees in Ruqban and Hadalat is significantly higher than the number the Associated Press reported earlier.
One European diplomat called the conditions at the border “horrific” and “brutal” in a conversation with Al-Monitor. At least 10 Syrian refugees have died, including two infants during birth, said another European official based in Jordan.