Reports of blast in camp for displaced Syrians near Jordan

AMMAN, Jordan – A resident says an explosion went off at a militia checkpoint near a camp for displaced Syrians on the border with Jordan.

There were unconfirmed reports of casualties in the Sunday evening blast at the Rukban camp.

Hala Akhbar, a website linked to the Jordanian military, also reported the explosion.

Jordan has been on edge since a June car bomb attack launched from the Rukban area killed seven members of the Jordanian border guard. Jordan sealed the border in response, cutting off vital aid from some 75,000 Syrians stranded in the area.

The displaced Syrians live in makeshift camps between two parallel earthen barriers, or berms, that mark the frontier.

The Rukban resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from factions in Syria’s civil war.