Majali calls for unity, says security forces ready for any threat

AMMAN — Around 340 Syrian refugees crossed into the Kingdom on Sunday, Interior Minister Hussein Majali said on Tuesday, dismissing claims that the Kingdom denied them entry.

“What matters to us is maintaining the safety and security of the 11 million people currently living in Jordan, with Jordanians constituting 7 million of them,” Majali said at a press conference.

Jordanians’ unity and their faith in the country’s leadership have protected the Kingdom from the region’s wave of turmoil, the minister added, urging Jordanians to “stand firm” against any attempts to shake the country’s stability.

“Jordan’s security forces are able to predict threats, observe them and deal with them,” he said. 

Jordan, Majali stressed, is always ready to deal with anything that comes up.

Also speaking at the press conference, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben said the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) have received over 600,000 Syrian refugees who illegally entered the Kingdom since the political crisis in Syria broke out.

However, he noted, the army implements strict regulations on allowing the entry of some Syrian men, who might be a threat to the country’s stability, adding that Jordan has welcomed all injured Syrians, in addition to women and children.

Commenting on the Kingdom’s preparations against any threats by the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, Zaben said the army is “completely ready” and “will not hesitate to do anything to protect the country”.

“The armed forces are able to reach any area within the Middle East that might threaten the Kingdom’s safety and security,” he noted.