Syrian border closure deals blow to Jordan economy
The Free Syrian Army has taken over the strategic border crossing of Nasib, a main trade route between Jordan and Syria, pushing the Jordanian government to seek alternative transport options and export markets.
JABAR, Jordan — What remains of the swarm of truck convoys that used to dot the key crossing between Jordan and Syria is a parking lot of stranded truckers, clueless as to what will happen next.
Fauzi Abdul Nabi, a representative from the First Army, a southern Free Syrian Army (FSA) faction, told Al-Monitor that moderate rebels fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad took control of the crucial border post of Nasib in Syria on April 1, after the president’s troops withdrew from the area.
Jordan has since closed its last official entry, called the Jabar crossing on its side, along the 370-km (230-mile) northern border it shares with Syria. Other crossings have been shut throughout the five-year conflict, but Syrian refugees are still met by the Jordanian soldiers at special checkpoints along the border.
One of the Middle East’s busiest trade channels, the route has been packed with caravans for millennia. Today, it connects Europe to the Middle East via Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
