Jordan creates obstacle for Syrian refugees trying to return home: official

Jordanian authorities are preventing Syrian refugees at the Zaatari camp from returning to their country, a Syrian official says.

On Saturday, a Syrian official told SANA news agency that Jordanian authorities seized IDs of the refugees at the camp, located 10 kilometers east of Mafraq in northern Jordan, to prevent them from returning to Syria.

The official said about five thousand people managed to cross the border illegally.

A number of refugees, who had left the camp, blamed Jordan for confiscating humanitarian aid provided to them, saying, the Syrians have to pay 200 dollars to police forces, who would in return allow them to leave the camp.

Earlier in the day, police fired teargas at refugees, injuring five in the camp. The violence broke out after police arrested a group of Syrians attempting to flee the enclosed camp.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of Syrian army and security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.

Damascus says the West and its regional allies including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are supporting the militants.