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Refugees from Syria’s Rukban camp receive medical care in temporary center

The Rukban refugee camp emerged on the Syrian-Jordanian border in 2014 after Amman had closed the border due to security and economic concerns

DAMASCUS, May 20. /TASS/. Refugees coming from the Rukban camp are receiving medical care and food at the Abdurahman Shamoun temporary accommodation center established by the Syrian authorities, refugees told reporters on Monday.

"We had to spend time in tents. If we dared to go out, any of the terrorists could rape or kill us. There are no laws in Rukban, only rules set by militants," said Halima Hammud, a mother with many children.

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Rukban crisis may cause emergence of quasi-state, warns Russia's General Staff

Polluted drinking water causes health issues among those living in the camp so Halima had to be hospitalized when she finally got out.

"The Americans did not want to let us out, militants started shooting. We had to run under fire and couldn’t even tell who had managed to survive. How scary was it? I didn’t feel anything then, I just wanted to run away from the Americans and terrorists as quickly as possible," said a refugee named Ali Ammar.

According to him, he and several other refugees came under fire after attempting to leave the camp, he suffered a gunshot wound to his elbow. However, refugees are safe at the Abdurahman Shamoun center, he added.

Rukban camp

The Rukban refugee camp emerged on the Syrian-Jordanian border in 2014 after Amman had closed the border due to security and economic concerns. The area, controlled by illegal armed gangs, is facing a severe humanitarian crisis.

The Russian and Syrian coordination centers for the return of refugees once again pointed to the dire situation in the Rukban camp on May 15.

Meanwhile, more than 12,000 people have left the camp.

At the same time, 967 refugees have returned to Syria from abroad in the past 24 hours, including 408 people from Lebanon and 559 from Jordan.

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