Jordan's King Abdullah to discuss war on Syria militants with Putin

Amman - The king is expected to raise concerns that any stepped-up Russian raids in southern Syria along Jordan's northern border could trigger a big wave of refugees.

Jordan's King Abdullah, a US ally, will hold talks in Moscow on Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin on how to tackle "terror groups" led by Daesh in Syria, an official source said.
Jordan reached an agreement with Moscow last month to ensure Russian bombing of targets in southern Syria, which borders the country, does not target Western backed rebels known as the Southern Front - a grouping it supports as a buffer against the spread of hardline groups.
The king is expected to raise concerns that any stepped-up Russian raids in southern Syria along Jordan's northern border could trigger a big wave of refugees into the already over-stretched kingdom which hosts over a million refugees fleeing the conflict, one official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Diplomats say the Russian air force has stepped up bombing in recent days of mainly civilian targets in rebel-controlled towns in southern Syria, including parts of rebel-held Deraa city that are run by moderate rebel groups backed by Jordan.
Jordan has not publicly commented but the king, who has close personal ties with Putin, recently publicly expressed enthusiasm about the intensive Russian military campaign in Syria, saying it offered a window of opportunity and that Moscow had a key role in defeating the ultra-hardline militants.
Diplomats says Moscow's expanding bombing raids in the south this week, however, showed the limitations of Jordan's leverage over the Russians who launched their air campaign on September 30 with the stated aim of hitting Daesh but mostly bombing other rebel groups in the west of the country.
They said there was also some disquiet in Washington about any closer security and military cooperation with Moscow.
Diplomats say Jordan's overt backing of Moscow's military campaign also risks putting it at odds with Saudi Arabia and Turkey that are very critical of Russia's campaign.

• MENA