King Salman condoles with Jordan over deadly terror attack

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman. (SPA)

JEDDAH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has sent a cable of condolences to Jordan’s King Abdullah II on the victims of Tuesday’s terrorist bombing attack in Jordan’s border with Syria.
"We have received with great regret the news of the terrorist bombing attack incident in Al-Rukban area, which resulted in casualties and injuries,” said the king's cable, which was carried on the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
“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, renewing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's firm stance on the rejection of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressing the importance of the concerted efforts of the international community to confront and eradicate terrorism,” it added.
Six Jordanian border guards were killed in the attack, in which a suicide bomber drove a car at speed across the border from Syria and rammed it into a military post.
The explosives-laden vehicle blew up a few hundred meters from a camp for Syrian refugees in a remote, desolate area where the borders of Iraq, Syria and Jordan meet, a Jordanian army statement said.
No group has claimed responsibility, but the southeastern desert area is close to where Daesh militants are known to operate, according to a security source who requested anonymity. The source said the attack appeared to be a well-planned military operation.
The army said a number of other vehicles used in the attack at around 5:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) were destroyed and that 14 other people were wounded. The suicide bomber drove out from behind a berm and dodged gunfire to reach the military post, it added.
It was the first such assault targeting Jordan from Syria since Syria’s descent into conflict in 2011 and followed an attack on June 6 on a security office near the Jordanian capital Amman in which five people, including three Jordanian intelligence officers, were killed.
Jordan’s King Abdullah said the perpetrators would not go unpunished and that his security forces would deal with “an iron fist” with any group that sought to harm the country’s security or borders, a palace statement said.
Jordan and Saudi Arabia are partners in the war against extremists seeking to seize power in the region.
Saudi Arabia is a major refugee aid donor in Jordan, which has already accepted more than 600,000 UN-registered Syrian refugees.

(Additional reporting by Reuters)