Naharnet

Iran Says Turkey, Jordan Aiding Syria-Bound 'Terrorists'

Iran's armed forces chief accused Turkey and Jordan of allowing rebel fighters into Syria and urged them to seal off their borders, ISNA news agency reported on Friday.

"It is the duty of Syria's Muslim neighbors to refrain from backing the terrorists," armed forces chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi was quoted as saying.

"Turkey and Jordan should close their borders to terrorists," he said, using the same term for rebel fighters as Iran's ally Syria.

Western countries and the Syrian opposition accuse Iran of providing military support to the regime in Syria, where more than 17,000 people have reportedly been killed in an uprising since March 2011. Tehran denies the charge.

Hossein Amir Abdolahian, an Iranian deputy foreign minister, said U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan had been warned during a visit to Tehran earlier this week over the smuggling of arms into Syria.

"Terrorist groups operate in Syria in coordination with certain foreign countries," Amir Abdolahian said.

Source: Agence France Presse


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