BICOM

ISIS is reported to have gained a foothold in the Yarmouk camp, a southern suburb of Syria’s capital Damascus. Meanwhile, the Al-Nusra Front, affiliated to Al-Qaeda has taken control of a Syrian border crossing with Jordan.

ISIS is now thought to be in control of most of Yarmouk, an area heavily populated by Palestinian refugees. Yarmouk’s population though has been decimated since the start of the Syrian Civil War four years ago. Many have fled as the suburb has been used by rebel fighters to launch attacks on government forces in Damascus, prompting heavy responses from the Assad regime.

Anwar Abdel Hadi, director of political affairs for the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in Damascus told AFP yesterday, “Fighters from ISIS launched an assault this morning on Yarmouk and they took over the majority of the camp.” Although the fighting is ongoing, it is the closest ISIS has reached towards the heart of Syria’s leadership in the country’s capital.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Syria, the opposition group Al-Nusra Front, which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda struck a further blow to President Assad’s forces, by seizing control of the Syrian side of the Nasib border crossing with Jordan. It is the only functioning border crossing between the two countries. A Jordanian government spokesperson told AP that Jordan had decided to close its side of the border for the time being. He said, “It is important for us to keep the safety for the passengers and those who are trying to cross between the two countries … So we decided to close the border temporarily, until things calm down. Then we will open it again.”

Jordan has seen an influx of more than one million Syrian refugees since the start of the Syrian Civil War, placing a significant strain on its resources. Although Jordan has attempted to remain on the side lines of the Syrian conflict, its leaders strongly oppose Islamist terror groups and earlier this year launched air strikes on ISIS targets in Syria.