Jordan

Jordanian Soldier Charged With Murder of 3 US Special Forces Soldiers

The government of Jordan has announced that they have formally charged one of its soldiers with “Murder with intent to kill” in a shooting incident of three US Green Berets in November.

The US Special Forces soldiers were part of a training mission and were shot as they drove up to enter a military base where they were assigned. There were initial reports that stated the US and Jordanian officials had differed on whether the Americans had followed base protocol on entering, but video surveillance has proved that the US troops did, in fact, follow correct procedures.

Three US Army Special Forces soldiers were shot at the King Faisal Air Base in Jordan during the incident on November 4. There was an intense firefight between a Jordanian guard, who wore body armor and carried an M-16 rifle, and the US soldiers, equipped only with sidearms.
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe was killed instantly and Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen was mortally wounded when the guard opened fire on the soldiers’ vehicle while it was stopped at the base’s gate. The third man, Staff Sgt. James Moriarty, suffered a mortal wound after firing his pistol at the Jordanian guard.
In March, the US military determined that the three men followed proper procedures during the incident, despite initial Jordanian media claims to the contrary.
A US Special Operations Command investigation into the shooting found the US forces “demonstrated valorous conduct and extraordinary heroism” after coming under fire from a Jordanian guard, according to a redacted copy of the report.
“There is no evidence that US forces failed to fully comply with Jordanian Base entrance procedures,” the report said.
Jordanian state media initially blamed the incident on the soldiers’ failure to adhere to proper procedures at the base’s entrance, though US officials disputed that at the time.
Investigators said they were able to obtain video surveillance footage of the event, allowing for a very detailed examination.

This development from the Jordanian government may help the families of the slain soldiers find a bit of closure as some have been adamant that the Jordanian soldier in question be charged with murder.

To read the entire article from the CNN click here:

Photo courtesy US Army

Iran Wants Military Base in Syria Near Israeli Border

The civil war in Syria has been a bloody affair and if the Iranian government gets its wish, the bloodshed will spread beyond the Syrian borders. With the defeat of the Islamic State in Syria, Iran wants a military base in southern Syria along the border with Israel and Jordan.

The move would be to weaken US influence in the region, eventually forcing the United States out and then opening up another avenue which to attack Israel and the Jordanians, one of the US’ closest allies in the region.

“A permanent Iranian military base in Syria, potentially near the border with Israel or Jordan, would increase Iran’s operational capacity to inflict serious damage against two of our closest allies in the region,” Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
That warning points to the strategic significance of the Syrian civil war, beyond the importance of defeating the Islamic State. Trump’s team has authorized an intense barrage of airstrikes on ISIS, while opening the door to cooperation with Russia; a senior State Department official recently attended a peace talks summit between Syrian President Bashar Assad and opposition forces that was led by the Russians. But Russia is propping up Assad in partnership with Iran, which means the defeat of ISIS could inaugurate a new phase of regional rivalry.
Roskam and Deutch have a similar concern. “Iran is actively working to establish a permanent military presence in Syria,” they wrote Tillerson. “The Islamic Republic seeks to solidify its access to the Mediterranean Sea by building a permanent seaport and constructing numerous military installations throughout the country. A permanent Iranian military presence in Syria would greatly harm U.S. interests in the region and decrease the likelihood of reaching a political agreement to end the Syrian civil war.”

Nothing good can come from the Iranians having a permanent military presence in Syria. Attacks against Israel and Jordan would soon follow and the region can ill-afford that bloodshed to escalate.

To read the entire article from the Washington Examiner click here:

Photo courtesy Getty Images

Jordanians, US Kick Off “Eager Lion” Joint Exercise

The government of Jordan with the cooperation of the United States is hosting the annual joint training exercise “Eager Lion” which will take place over the next 11 days.

During a press conference at the Joint Special Operations Command, Director of Joint Military Training at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF) Brig. Gen. Khaled Shraah said that the drills are being conducted with the participation of ground, naval and air forces, amounting to around 7,400 participants representing JAF and US forces.

US and Jordanian officials said the manoeuvres would include border security, cyber-defence, and “command and control” exercises to bolster coordination in response to threats including “terrorism”.
“Joint efforts and coordination and the exchange of expertise … are needed at the time when the region is facing the threat of terrorism,” Jordanian Brigadier-General Khalid al-Sharaa, who will head the exercise, told reporters.
US Major-General Bill Hickman, deputy commanding officer for the American army in the region, said this year’s Eager Lion exercise – the seventh so far – is “the largest and most complex to date”.
The highlight of this year’s war games, he said, will be that “for the first time ever a global strike mission” will be conducted by “two US Air Force B-1B bomber aircraft” – a long-range multi-mission bomber.

The military exercise will see the participation of Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, the UAE, Lebanon, the UK, France, Kenya, Italy, Pakistan, the US, Belgium, Poland, Holland, Australia, Greece, Japan, as well as representatives of NATO.

Last year, about 6000 troops took part in the exercise which has been on-going since 2011. Jordan is a key ally of the United States in the region and has received upwards of $1 billion dollars of aid in the years 2015-2017.

To read the entire article from Al-Jazeera, click here:

Photo courtesy Reuters

Parents say their Green Beret son was murdered and want answers

Three members of the 5^th Special Forces Group who were conducting weapons training for the Jordanian armed forces were killed in November when re-entering a base they had left and entered many times in the past.

The Jordanian government has ruled the deaths “a tragic accident” where a member of their military, M’aarek Abu Tayeh fired from point blank range killing two of the SF soldiers right in front of a guard shack as the troops re-entered the base after conducting range operations in the morning.

A third Green Beret was killed in the ensuing gun battle with Tayeh before a fourth, armed with just a Glock handgun, emptied his pistol at Tayeh who was seriously wounded in the exchange.

Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar said in a statement that Tayeh responded to shooting from the Americans.

“Abu Tayeh was tasked with swift response,” Kawar said, and fired toward the source of what he took to be gunshots coming from the Americans, “who in turn fired directly at Abu Tayeh, believing he was targeting them.”

The FBI has analyzed video footage from the incident and deemed that the Americans followed what had been normal procedure when entering and leaving the base. The families of the killed Americans believe that the soldiers were murdered and want answers from the Jordanians.

Earlier this month, Chuck Lewellen and fathers of the other fallen Green Berets spoke at the National Press Club in Washington. They want an apology from Jordan, and they’ve called for a suspension of aid to the country until that happens.
“The government of Jordan lied to the world, immediately claiming that our sons failed to stop at the gate,” James R. Moriarty told the press club. “When the FBI confirmed the video showed that to be a lie, the Jordanians then claimed there had been an accidental discharge by one of the Americans. This was also proven to be a lie.
“The American public is told Jordan is our ally. Jordan has never accepted responsibility nor has a Jordanian official ever explained what truly happened.”

The families want answers and the Jordanians to clear their sons of any wrongdoing, which the video and the FBI investigation played out. However, the Jordanian government is sticking to its story, (the third now) that Tayeh acted appropriately and was responding to a threat from the Americans.

Jordan has been a staunch ally of the US in the region and although terrorism has been ruled out by the host government, and they cited Tayeh’s 14 years of service, for the families, there is the legitimate question in their minds as to what happened and why.

To read the entire article from The Olympian, click here:

Photo courtesy DOD