Islamic State detonates twin car-bombs in Syrian refugee camp

Islamic State detonates twin car-bombs in Syrian refugee camp
The two car bombs hit a Free Syrian Army checkpoint and a market place for diesel fuel, killing at least ten.
2 min read
16 May, 2017
The Rukban border has been closed on the Jordanian side since June 2016 [Facebook]

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for killing ten people in a Monday double car bomb attack at the Rukban border camp in Syria.

At least fourteen others were injured after the first bomb targeted a security checkpoint manned by the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) and a second hit a fuel depot in the market area.

One eyewitness told The New Arab that the second explosion was made worse after it caused a diesel barrel to explode.

The first explosion hit a car belonging to the Army of the Revolutionary Commanders, a sub-division of the FSA.

Officials in the camp then worked to transfer the wounded to the Jordanian side of the border, where they could be transported to local hospitals.

The Rukban border post has remained closed on the Jordanian side since June 2016, after a deadly cross-border attack killed seven members of the Jordanian security forces.

The Rukban camp on the Syrian side of the border is home to about 100,000 internally displaced people, mostly originating from the eastern regions of Syria.

Jordanian authorities have claimed that criminals, smugglers and extremists have infiltrated the camp and one spokesman even described it as an "enclave" for IS.

Conditions at the camp on the Syrian side have steadily deteriorated, with aid officials reporting the spread of disease, including whooping cough and hepatitis.

Close to 5 million Syrians have fled the civil war in their country since 2011, including nearly 660,000 who settled in Jordan.