Syrian refugees pour into Jordan

Jordan is witnessing a rise in the number of Syrian refugees as violence and growing political uncertainty are pushing thousands to flee their homes. Officials in the Jordanian government say thousands have crossed its northern border with Syria, some legally and others without travel documents for fear of being arrested. The number of Syrian refugees in Jordan is close to 5,000, living in border towns and in the capital Amman. Most refugees have come from Deraa, the cradle of anti-Assad protests, where hundreds are believed to have been killed during the crackdown campaign on the city and surrounding villages. Others have come from the northern town of Homs, a hotspot for anti-Assad protests. One Syrian refugee Ziad Zubi said: “They entered my house, burnt it, took my car and took my motorcycle and burnt it. I escaped with my family. We are suffering. We want to be in our country but we cannot return because of the intelligence and security forces. We cannot say one word." Local charity groups are providing refugees accommodation and sometimes pocket money to survive. But refugees said that's not enough. Another Syrian refugee Mohammed said: "Our condition as refugees is bad. It is not very good. We are working and managing ourselves. We call on the Arab leaders to have a firm position as more refugees are outside Syria and children are dying. The situation is clearly bad." Sources at the UN agency for refugees say hundreds of Syrians have applied for asylum, but many others prefer to wait for the outcome of the anti-Assad revolt. Officials in Amman are bracing themselves for more refugees in days to come, as pressure on the Bashar al-Assad regime intensifies and the crackdown on protesters escalates. King Abdullah of Jordan said this week that his country will open its doors to all refugees for humanitarian reasons.