A bomb blast struck the Rakban camp for displaced people in Syria near the border with Jordan on Saturday, causing injuries and deaths, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor.

The camp is home to displaced civilians and to rebel groups that fight both President Bashar al-Assad and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group, and was targeted by bombings last year.

Jordan's official Petra news agency, citing a military source, confirmed that an explosion went off inside the camp.

Syrian local media said the blast was caused by a car bomb and caused deaths and injuries.

There was no claim of responsibility for the bombing.

Home to more than 85,000 displaced people, the Rakban camp was also targeted by a bomb blast last month.

On Saturday, the Russian defence ministry said six Russian warplanes carried out air strikes on ISIL targets in the Deir Ezzor province, according to Russian media outlet RIA.

The ministry added that the planes flew from Russian territory and returned after the strikes, RIA said.

Peace talks

The attacks come as the Syrian government and rebel groups prepare for upcoming peace talks in Kazakhstan.

A ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey last month excluded the main hardline group in northwestern Syria, former al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Meanwhile a spate of air strikes targeting its leaders have increased mistrust among rebels.

READ MORE: Syrian Civil War Map

All this plays further to Assad's advantage, as his Russian and Iranian allies want to lead diplomacy over Syria, with new US President Donald Trump indicating that he will cut backing for the moderate Syrian opposition.

The rebels going to Kazakhstan's Astana say the meeting must focus on shoring up the ceasefire and that they will resist political discussions. Assad has said he is open to such talks.

Syria's conflict started as a largely unarmed uprising against Assad's rule in March 2011, but it quickly morphed into a full-scale civil war.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed throughout the five years of fighting, while more than half of the country's prewar population have been internally displaced or fled the country.</s>A car bomb has killed at least four civilians at a refugee camp for displaced Syrians in northeast Jordan.

The targeted Rubkan camp lies near the border with Syria and has become home to over 75,000 refugees since the outbreak of the conflict.

Jordan has taken in over 1.6m refugees in total and previously operated a demilitarised border with Syria, but has since closed off access for fear of Islamic State (Isis) sleeper cells developing in the country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and Jordanian news agency Petra both reported Saturday's (21 January) attack.

"A car bomb exploded on the outskirts of the Rukban camp on the Jordanian border, killing four displaced people and injuring others," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based monitor, reported AFP.

He added that 14 people were wounded in the blast and casualties were taken to a clinic in the border area for treatment. No Jordanians are believed to be hurt in the blast.

Despite being deep into the desert, the attack is likely to trouble many Jordanians who have seen terrorism creep further and further into their borders.

The Rubkan camp was previously attacked on 21 June and 17 December last year. Also in December, IS (Daesh) claimed responsibility for an attack in Karak, central Jordan, where nine Jordanians and one Canadian tourist were gunned down in the city's Crusader castle.

Jordanians are also fearful such attacks could dampen the country's tourism industry, which it relies on for $4bn (£3.23bn) in revenues every year.

As a result, some have been critical of the Jordanian government as it is one of few Arab states to have taken part in the US-led air campaign against IS in Syria.

That sentiment reached an all-time high when Jordanian pilot Maaz Yusuf al-Kasasbeh was captured by IS militants in 2015, after his plane was shot down in Raqqa, Syria.

He was then brutally burned alive in a cage in a video which horrified the globe.

In December, the US State Department and the UK Foreign Office issued a travel warning for Jordan due to "threats for terrorist groups".</s>A car bomb blast killed four civilians at a camp for displaced Syrians by the border with Jordan on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

“A car bomb exploded on the outskirts of the Rukban camp on the Jordanian border, killing four displaced people and injuring others,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based monitor.

Jordan’s official Petra news agency, citing a military source, also reported the blast at the isolated makeshift camp, which houses around 85,000 Syrians, according to the United Nations.

The source said 14 wounded people had been taken to a clinic in the border area for treatment, adding that no decision had been taken yet on whether they would be transported to Jordanian hospitals.

The source added that there were no Jordanian casualties in the blast.

Jordan closed its nearby border in June, 2016, halting aid deliveries to the camp, after a bombing claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group killed seven Jordanian soldiers.

Jordanian officials said at the time that the bomber had come from the camp and declared the borders a closed military zone.

The decision prompted shortages at the camp, with rights group Amnesty International in October decrying “hellish” conditions for those seeking refuge there.

Aid has been delivered to the camp only twice since the border was closed, most recently in November, when the UN supplied food, hygiene kits and winter clothing.

The United Nations says there are more than 600,000 refugees from Syria in Jordan, a figure Amman puts at 1.4 million.

In August, King Abdullah II said his country was “doing its utmost to help refugees” from Syria.

“However, we have reached our limits... This is an international crisis and an international responsibility, and the world has to do its part,” he said.

More than four million Syrians have fled their country since the beginning of the conflict in March, 2011. Over 310,000 people have been killed in the violence.</s>BEIRUT: A car bomb blast killed at least four civilians at a camp for displaced Syrians by the border with Jordan on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

"A car bomb exploded on the outskirts of the Rukban camp on the Jordanian border, killing four displaced people and injuring others," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Britain-based monitor. Jordan’s official Petra news agency, citing a military source, also reported the blast at the isolated makeshift camp, which houses around 85,000 Syrians according to the United Nations.

The source said 14 wounded people had been taken to a clinic in the border area for treatment, adding that no decision had been taken yet on whether they would be transported to Jordanian hospitals.

Bomb kills four at Syria-Jordan border camp was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 22, 2017 and was last updated on January 22, 2017. This news story is related to Print/180934-Bomb-kills-four-at-Syria-Jordan-border-camp/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Bomb kills four at Syria-Jordan border camp" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/180934-Bomb-kills-four-at-Syria-Jordan-border-camp.</s>MOSCOW (Sputnik) – An explosion hit on Saturday the Rakban refugee camp in southern Syria near the border with Jordan, according to media reports.

According to Sky News Arabia, a car bomb exploded in the camp.

Other media reports have indicated that dozens have been injured by the blast.</s>BEIRUT—A large explosion rocked a camp for displaced Syrians along the Syrian-Jordanian border Saturday, killing at least four, and wounding many others, opposition activists and a resident said.Badr Abu Sultan, a resident of the Rukban camp, said the explosion was caused by a suspected car bomb in a local market. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the explosion caused a huge cloud of smoke over the area. A video posted by the Syrian Media Organization also showed some tents burning, as parts of the car bomb were scattered across the camp.A Jordanian military official told the official Jordanian Petra news agency said the explosion inside Syrian territory was caused by a small truck. He ruled out that any Jordanians were injured.Jordan has been on edge since a car bomb attack last year launched from Rukban killed seven Jordanian border guards. Jordan then sealed the border, cutting off vital aid to 75,000 Syrians stranded in the area.“There was a powerful explosion at the beginning of the market,” Abu Sultan, a member of a tribal council in the camp, told The Associated Press, adding that the market is located at the entrance to the camp. “It was a car bomb.”Article Continued BelowAbu Sultan said two men, a woman and a child were killed and at least 12 were wounded. The Observatory, which has a network of activists on the ground, put the death toll at seven, including a man, his wife and two children. The Observatory said some of the wounded were in critical condition.The Jordanian official said 14 wounded were admitted to the Jordanian health centre at the border which is used to treat Syrian refugees.The camp houses a local militia targeted in the past by rival factions in Syria’s war. Another opposition activist network, the Palmyra Coordination group, said the explosion hit a checkpoint for a local militia near the market. The group said two of the victims have been identified as displaced.</s>A bomb blast struck a refugee camp in Syria near the border with Jordan causing injuries and deaths, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Rakban camp is home to refugees and to rebel groups that fight both President Bashar al-Assad and the jihadist Islamic State movement, and was also targeted by bombings last year, the British-based war monitor said.</s>AMMAN — A car bomb attack took place on Saturday in the Syrian refugee camp, Rakban, near the Jordanian border, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted an army source as saying.

The bombing was carried out by a small car that drove into the camp, the source added.

The blast has left at least 11 people dead, Agence France-Presse quoted the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group as reporting.

The monitor said the toll could rise further because a number of the injured were in serious conditions.

The military source told Petra that 14 wounded people had been taken to a clinic in the border area for treatment, adding that no decision had been taken yet on whether they would be transported to Jordanian hospitals.

The source added that there were no Jordanian casualties because the Jordanian staff responsible for distributing food and medication at the camp was not at the camp when the blast took place.

Jordan declared the northern and northeastern border areas a closed military zone in June, 2016, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack that targeted a military post serving refugees near the border, killing seven troops and injuring 13 others.</s>BEIRUT - A car bomb blast killed at least 11 people at a camp for displaced Syrians by the border with Jordan on Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

The Britain-based group said the dead included a family of four, with the father, mother and two children killed in the blast on the outskirts of the Rukban camp.

Another four of those killed were fighters from local tribes in eastern Syria that have battled the militant Islamic State group. The monitor said the toll could rise further because a number of the injured were in serious condition. Jordan’s official Petra news agency, citing a military source, also reported the blast at the isolated makeshift camp, which houses around 85,000 Syrians according to the United Nations.

The source said 14 wounded people had been taken to a clinic in the border area for treatment, adding that no decision had been taken yet on whether they would be transported to Jordanian hospitals.

The source said there were no Jordanian casualties.

Jordan closed its border in June 2016, halting aid deliveries to the camp, after a bombing claimed by the Islamic State militant group killed seven Jordanian soldiers.

Officials said at the time that the bomber had come from the camp and declared the border a closed military zone.

The decision prompted shortages at the camp, with rights group Amnesty International in October decrying “hellish” conditions for those seeking refuge there.

Aid has been delivered to the camp only twice since the border was closed, most recently in November, when the UN supplied food, hygiene kits and winter clothing.

The United Nations says there are more than 600,000 refugees from Syria in Jordan, a figure Amman puts at 1.4 million.

In August, King Abdullah II said his country was “doing its utmost to help refugees” from Syria.

“However, we have reached our limits... This is an international crisis and an international responsibility, and the world has to do its part,” he said.

More than four million Syrians have fled their country since the beginning of the conflict in March 2011, which has killed more than 310,000 people.</s>Damascus, Jan 22 (IANS) At least 11 persons were killed on Saturday when an explosion rocked a camp for displaced Syrians near the Syria-Jordan border, a monitor group reported.

The blast rocked the Rukban camp near the Jordanian border when a car bomb went off at the outskirts of the camp, Xinhua news agency cited the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said a father, mother and their two kids were among those killed, adding that the death toll could likely rise due to the high number of critically wounded people.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s state-run Petra news agency said a total of 14 Syrians who were injured in a blast were allowed to enter into Jordan.

Around 85,000 Syrians, who are stuck on the border between Syria and Jordan, live in that camp.

It wasn’t clear who carried out the explosion, but it bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Last June, IS carried out a suicide bombing near the camp, killing seven people and injuring 13 others.
A car bomb attack occurs in the Rakban refugee camp near the Jordanian border. Casualty counts are currently unknown and no one has yet taken credit for the attack.