Jordanian police officers shot dead on Syrian border
Jordanian police officers shot dead on Syrian border
A pair of police officers have died after they were shot on the Syrian-Jordanian border by unknown gunmen, officials said on Tuesday.
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Defences along the Jordanian border have been tightened since war broke out in Syria [AFP]
Two Jordanian policemen have died after their vehicle was shot at while on patrol overnight near the Syrian border, authorities said on Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, which took place in Jordan's northern Irbid governorate bordering war-torn Syria.
The assailants opened fire on the police car and it overturned after the driver lost control, a statement from Jordan's general security department said.
A police captain and a corporal, who was driving the vehicle, were rushed to hospital with serious injuries and later died, it said.
Jordan is part of a US-led coalition battling Islamic State group, which controls swathes of Syria and Iraq.
The kingdom has bolstered surveillance of its border with Syria since the conflict started there in March 2011 and has arrested dozens of people trying to infiltrate the frontier.
Those trying to join armed groups in Syria and smugglers frequently attempt to cross the border.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, which took place in Jordan's northern Irbid governorate bordering war-torn Syria.
The assailants opened fire on the police car and it overturned after the driver lost control, a statement from Jordan's general security department said.
A police captain and a corporal, who was driving the vehicle, were rushed to hospital with serious injuries and later died, it said.
Jordan is part of a US-led coalition battling Islamic State group, which controls swathes of Syria and Iraq.
The kingdom has bolstered surveillance of its border with Syria since the conflict started there in March 2011 and has arrested dozens of people trying to infiltrate the frontier.
Those trying to join armed groups in Syria and smugglers frequently attempt to cross the border.
