Jordan says 4 nationals released from Syrian prisons

AMMAN, Jordan – Jordan says four of its nationals held in Syrian prisons have been released following contacts between the two governments.

Sufian Qudah, spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Wednesday one person remains in the Syrian capital Damascus where his family lives and the others have either arrived or are on their way to Jordan.

Qudah said Jordan continues to follow up on the cases of four others expected to be covered by the release order.

It was not clear why the Jordanians were detained.

Jordan’s relations with neighbouring Syria have been strained since 2011 when the civil war there began, displacing and killing hundreds of thousands.

A thaw followed the reopening of the border crossing between the two countries last year. The crossing closed in 2015 when it fell into rebel hands.