King Salman, Crown Prince condemn terror attack in Jordan

Jeddah — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Naif, deputy premier and minister of interior, sent cables of condolences to King Abdullah of Jordan following a terrorist attack in Al-Rukban area. The King and the Crown Prince said: “We have received with great sorrow the news of the terrorist bombing in Al-Rukban area which resulted in casualties and injuries. As we condemn and denounce such heinous criminal acts, we, on behalf of the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, express to Your Majesty, the families of the victims and the friendly people of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan our deepest condolences. “We reiterate the Kingdom’s firm stand on the rejection of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stress the importance of the concerted efforts of the international community to confront and eradicate this evil.” Jordan’s King Abdullah vowed to hit back “with an iron fist” against attackers who killed six army border guards with a car bomb near the frontier with Syria on Tuesday, a palace statement said. The explosives-laden vehicle blew up a few hundred meters from a camp for Syrian refugees in a desolate area where the borders of Iraq, Syria and Jordan meet, Jordan’s army said. In a rare move, the Jordanian army’s chief of staff declared the northern and northeastern border strip with Syria a closed military zone, an order that went into effect immediately. “Any vehicle and personnel movement within these areas that move without prior coordination will be treated as enemy targets and dealt with firmly and without leniency,” the army statement said.