SYRIA TO JORDAN

Refugee Crisis : Jordan has decided to keep border closed to Syria's displaced. As authorities fear the presence of infiltrators among the displaced'.

Jordan's army said on Tuesday the Kingdom's border with Syria would remain closed, even as tens of thousands of Syrians flee a government offensive toward the frontier.

The commander of the Kingdom's northern military region, General Khaled al Massaid, told AFP that authorities feared the presence of  infiltrators  among the displaced.

Around 95,000 Syrians have arrived in the border region  ''as a result of the latest military operations,'' he said.

Syrian government troops backed by Russian firepower and airpower launched an offensive on June 19 to recapture the country's southern Daraa region along the border with Jordan.

''The borders are closed and the army is being very cautious with the displaced. fearing the presence of infiltrators with weapons and disguised as women,'' said the general.

The  United Nations said  Monday the number of Syrians displaced by the onslaught had already exceeded  270,000  people  seeking shelter along the border.

Massaid said  86  trucks  had crossed the border over the past three days to deliver food and drinking water to the displaced.

Jordan's army has been distributing humanitarian aid and providing medical treatment at three points along the border, he said.

Earlier on Tuesday, UN  High Commissioner for Human Rights spokeswoman  Liz Throssel urged  Jordan to open its border to the  ''thousands of refugees stranded without adequate shelter. [AFP]