JABER CROSSING, Jordan — Jordan's overland trade has largely been paralyzed by recent border attacks from insurgents in neighboring Syria and Iraq — a spillover of regional turmoil threatening a close Western ally that has thus far succeeded in fending off militants. The violence has forced the closure of the only Syria-Jordan trade crossing and further disrupted already sharply diminished cargo shipments between Jordan and Iraq. Thousands of trucks sit idle, traders are scrambling for new transport routes and the government says Jordan's economy is losing tens of millions of dollars a month.
"Iraq is closed, Syria is closed, only the (route to the) Gulf is left," said truck driver Firas Zoabi, who has lost most of his business in recent weeks because of blocked or treacherous crossings.
The border disruptions are the latest setback for Jordan since the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011 — and particularly since #Daesh militants seized large areas of Syria and Iraq last year. — AP
