ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan: Syrian refugees living in makeshift tents in the north of Jordan along the Syrian border at the Zaatari refugee camp told Bikyamasr.com on Thursday they are frustrated that they cannot get hold of their family and friends who remain in war-torn Syria. “It is very frustrating and we are all scared and worried that when we do get through someone could have been killed,” said Abu Hassan of the al-Dayat family at the camp on Thursday. The family, sitting around drinking tea with little to do in the camp home to tens of thousands of Syrians, mainly from al-Dara'a just across the border, called for the international community to do more to ensure the violence stops and President Bashar al-Assad is removed from power. “We wait here and we struggle with nothing to do. We are freezing at night because there are no blankets, and now we can't even talk to our family and friends in Syria. It is scary,” added Abu Hassan, to the nods of his brothers all gathered around on the dirt ground near where they now call home. Most Internet services in Syria were cut off on Thursday with cell phone signals also disrupted, US technology companies monitoring the war-torn country's web traffic said. On Saturday, the Internet and many telecom services remained offline, leaving Syria in a state of blackout. “In the global routing table, all 84 of Syria's IP address blocks have become unreachable, effectively removing the country from Internet connections,” US company Renesys said on its website. According to Syrian activists, Syrian government often cuts Internet and phone services before launching major military operations, which on Thursday prompted speculations of imminent offensives by government troops. During the day, government troops and opposition forces have engaged in clashes near the capital, which cut off transport to Damascus airport. Earlier on Thursday, an explosive device went off near the house of a leading member of Syria's ruling al-Baath party in the southern province of Daraa, killing three policemen and injuring others. The 50-kg explosive device went off in front of the house of a secretary of al-Baath party in Daraa, causing damage to nearby buildings. On Wednesday, a car bomb rattled the Busra town on the countryside of Daraa and killed two people. Fighting has continued to intensify between government troops and Western-backed rebels, who are trying to erode the Syrian government's grip on the capital and elsewhere in Syria in the hope of hastening collapse of the Syrian administration. For the refugees here, they want to continue to give support to those continuing to face the wrath of the Assad regime and battle for the future of Syria.
