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| Middle East |
| Army Helicopters Bombard Jordanian Town |
| 2002-11-12 |
| Jordanian army helicopters are reportedly shelling a neighborhood in the town of Maan, as authorities claimed that it's trying to flush out accused Muslim militants. They learned their lesson with the Paleostinians. They're not going to screw around with these guys. Maybe they thought King Abdullah isn't as tough as his old man... Riots started Sunday in Maan, in response to a severe governmental crackdown on political opposition in the country, following the killing of an American diplomat in Amman. They were also chasing Bad Guys... News reports from the city, under strict military curfew, say that Jordanian army helicopters are bombarding the town, particularly the Tur neighborhood. The government claims that a gang or Jordanians and foreigners, referring to a small Islamic group, is refusing to surrender. In turn, Jordanian authorities are accused of using the assassination of a top US official to crackdown on political opposition in the country, as the intense clashes began Sunday between hundreds of armed men and Jordanian police. Assassinations are usually a symptom of the presence of Islamists... Opposition sources in Amman fear that the security sweep is an attempt to silence the opposition ahead of an anticipated US war on Iraq. One Jordanian soldier was reportedly killed and several others were wounded, mostly civilians and police officers, witnesses say. Or it could be another of those little warnings Sammy's so subtle about... The Islamic Action Front (IAF) who has been trying to avoid a confrontation with the government, decided to come out strong against the clashes, warning of an escalation in the situation and widening the repercussions that could endanger national security. The Islamic Brotherhood, another powerful party in Jordan, criticized the government in a statement, saying that the government can deal with any wanted fugitive without this violence or by terrorizing innocent people. They could, ummm... uhhhh... call the cops? Residents say that the army and police were clearly planning to storm the city as armored vehicles and Armored personnel Carriers (APC) were arriving from the capital Amman to take positions in and around Maan. An unnamed Jordanian official told Reuters by phone that the operation was aimed at putting behind bars suspects and extremist individuals who might cause trouble and attempt to act of sabotage amid a tense domestic situation in the events of a US war against Iraq. He was quoted as saying, the security operation mounted in Maan is a precautionary step to ensure that the situation on the ground does not get out of hand in the event of war. As long as the Bad Guys are rioting and rebelling, the gummint might as well go ahead and take care of the rest of it... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #2 I read that many years ago some Palestinians hijacked and blew up a few Jordanian jetliners. Jordan responded by firing heavy artillery on the Palestinian refugee camps where the terrorists had been based, driving thousands deep into Lebanon and killing more Arabs in a matter of days than Israel has over the course of decades. So, no... Jordan don't screw around with internal dissent! |
| Posted by: Aracona 2002-11-12 11:04:04 |
| #1 The Jordanians do love to kiss ass and take names. Too bad they're rarely on our side, but I have to cheer this. Didn't they also kick some Syrian armored butt back in the 70's? |
| Posted by: Chuck 2002-11-12 10:05:35 |