Deborah Amos

U.S. War Planes Participate In Exercises In Jordan

Deborah Amos — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:24:00 +0000

Jordan is hosting major military exercises known as Eager Lion 2013. More than 15,000 soldiers from 18 countries, including the U.S., will be participating. The war games kicked off as Syria's civil war rages next door.

Top U.S. Official Meets With Rebels Inside Syria

Deborah Amos — Thu, 09 May 2013 21:18:00 +0000

Ambassador Robert Ford, the State Department's point man on Syrian policy, crossed into northern Syria on Wednesday. The secret visit was confirmed by Syrian activists at the media office at the Bab al-Salama crossing on the Turkish frontier.

Ford met with the head of the Aleppo military council, Abdul Jabbar Okaidi, who thanked him for the shipment of nonlethal aid. Seven trucks transported some 65,000 MREs, or meals ready to eat, the U.S. military's battlefield rations.

Syrians Bused To Jordanian Refugee Camps

Deborah Amos — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:11:00 +0000

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

Syria has accused Israel of flagrantly violating international law after a series of airstrikes on targets near the Syrian capital over the weekend. Now, Israel has not officially accepted responsibility, but Israeli sources say the targets included Iranian-made missiles bound for Hezbollah fighters in neighboring Lebanon.

As the civil war rages on inside Syria, the rebels trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad have made significant gains in the southern part of the country.

As Syria Melts Down, Ice Cream Shop Sets Up In Jordan

Deborah Amos — Sat, 04 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000

Bakdash is a landmark in the Syrian capital, serving the Arab world's most famous ice cream since 1895.

Sea Of Syrian Refugees Threatens To Overload Jordan

Deborah Amos — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:18:00 +0000

Jordan's fastest-growing city lies in the middle of the desert, where the sand is so white that from a distance it looks like snow. There's little running water and not much electricity.

The name of this place? The Zaatari refugee camp, home to more than 100,000 Syrian refugees.

"This is a city — not one that anybody would want to create if they had a choice," says Caroline Gluck of Oxfam, one of the aid agencies working in the Zaatari camp.