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Syrians stage border protest over aid shortage

Arab World Materials 1 April 2013 23:45 (UTC +04:00)
Hundreds of Syrians protested Monday along the Jordanian-Syrian border against a shortage of humanitarian aid
Syrians stage border protest over aid shortage

Hundreds of Syrians protested Monday along the Jordanian-Syrian border against a shortage of humanitarian aid, dpa reported.

According to Jordanian border security sources, some 500 Syrians amassed along the country's southern borders with Jordan near the Wihdah Dam in the Yarmouk Valley.

Protestors called on the UN and the Jordanian government to facilitate the flow of basic aid through a stretch of the Jordanian-Syrian border, Al Arabiya broadcaster said.

Last week, rebel forces allegedly captured a 30-kilometre stretch of the border with Jordan - from the Yarmouk Valley to the occupied Golan Heights. The area is a favoured crossing point for refugees fleeing violence into Jordan.

Free Syrian Army members claim Jordanian forces continue to prevent the influx of arms, aid and refugees over the shared borders.

"Although we have liberated a large portions of the Yarmouk Valley and the Golan, we remain isolated," Abu Kamal al-Golani, a Free Syrian Army commander based near the Yarmouk Valley, told dpa.

In other developments, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported clashes and heavy shelling in six of the country's 14 provinces, with renewed fighting over the country's second-largest airport.

Clashes between rebels and regime forces stretched into its second straight day over control of Aleppo International Airport, with tens of casualties reported on both sides.

At least 70,000 people have been killed so far in Syria's two-year conflict, according to United Nations estimates.

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