Jomana Karadsheh and Tim Hume
AMMAN, Jordan — (CNN) At least six members of Jordan’s security forces were killed Tuesday in a car bomb attack launched from the Syrian side of the border, according to the Jordanian armed forces.
The car bombing, which Jordan’s government described as a “cowardly terrorist attack,” killed four border guards, a civil defense worker and a national security official, a statement said.
The attack took place at 5:30 a.m. local time (10.30 p.m. Monday ET) in an area known as the Berm, along Jordan’s northeast border with Syria.
The target was a forward military position providing services for a refugee camp in al-Rukban, home to 60,000 Syrians denied entry into Jordan. It’s near both countries’ borders with Iraq.
“This cowardly terrorist attack only adds to the Jordanian armed forces’ resolve and determination to fight terrorism and the terrorists and their dark ideology,” the statement said.
There’s been no claim of responsibility for the attack.
Jordan foreign minister: ‘This evil will be defeated’
Nasser Judeh, Jordanian foreign minister and deputy prime minister, condemned the attack on his official Twitter account.
“Terrorists strike again this time against our border guard,” Judeh wrote.
“A number of fallen and injured Jordanian heroes. This evil will be defeated.”
The military also “destroyed several hostile attacking vehicles” nearby, the armed forces statement added.
Second deadly attack in weeks
Jordan, a key U.S. ally in the region, has foiled many border infiltration attempts and terror plots in recent years, including a thwarted ISIS plot in March that officials said was targeting military and civilian installations.
Successful attacks have generally been a rarity. But Tuesday’s bombing was the second deadly attack on Jordanian targets in recent weeks, shaking a nation that prides itself on projecting security and stability in a turbulent region.
Five people, including three intelligence officers, were killed in a June 6 assault on a Jordanian intelligence agency office in the country’s largest refugee camp, Baqaa.
A suspected gunman was arrested later that day; no claim of responsibility was made.
Jordan is one of the most active Arab members of the anti-ISIS coalition carrying out airstrikes on the terror group’s targets in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
The kingdom has had a high military presence along its borders with both countries, particularly since ISIS declared its so-called caliphate over parts of Syria and Iraq.
Jordan says it is hosting more than 1 million Syrians, about 650,000 of whom are officially registered as refugees with the United Nations. Over the past year, the kingdom has restricted the entry of Syrians, citing security concerns. A small number are permitted in daily after having been vetted, creating a backlog at camps such as al-Rukban.
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