Al-Qaida-linked rebels in Syria capture border crossing with Jordan

The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and likeminded groups on Wednesday captured the Nasib border crossing in Syria's southern province of Daraa on the border with Jordan, according to activists and sources.

The al-Qaida-linked group posted an online photo, showing three bearded men in camouflages standing at the Syrian side of the borders and holding their black flag with a caption that read "the lions of Nusra Front from inside the Nasib crossing thanks due to God."

Meanwhile, a source from the Daraa province told Xinhua over the phone that intense clashes were raging around the crossing, adding that the crossing is now closed from both sides.

It is the Nusra militants who captured the crossing, not the Free Syrian Army rebels, which are floated by the West as a moderate group, he added.

Earlier in the day, Jordan closed the crossing border with Syria for passengers and goods temporarily, according to Jordan's state-run Petra news agency.

Jordanian Interior Minister Hussein Majali said the closure of the crossing seeks to preserve the safety of passengers amidst ongoing violence there.

It is the first time that Jordan officially announced closure of border crossing with Syria since the start of the unrest in Syria in 2011, amidst Jordanian lawmakers' repeatedly call for closing the borders with Syria due to an increasing influx of Syrian refugees in the kingdom which hosts about 1.5 million Syrian refugees now.

For its part, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Jordan closed the Nasib border crossing from its side, holding Amman responsible for disrupting the transportation of passengers and cargo between both countries.

The Nasib crossing is the last remaining border crossing between Syria and Jordan, after the rebel groups in Syria controlled other border points throughout Syria's four-year-long crisis.

It was also one of the busiest border crossings in Syria and is situated on the Damascus-Amman international highway.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Nasib is the last official crossing under the Syrian government control after the rebels captured the al-Jumruk crossing in October 2013.

Syria's borderline with Jordan has witnessed several battles in the past four years, and the rebel groups succeeded to control the entire line except for the Nasib crossing. The falling of the government forces there will deprive them from any access to the Jordanian borders. Endit