Jordan Troops Kill Three US Military Trainers at Air Base

Jordan Claims US Vehicle 'Failed to Stop' at Gate

Three US soldiers assigned to a training operation in Jordan were killed today by Jordanian troops at the al-Jafr Air Base, when base security opened fire on them near the gate. One Jordanian soldier was also reported wounded in the incident.

Unlike other recent incidents of US soldiers killed by allies, this incident was not chalked up to infiltration by rogue elements. Rather, Jordanian officials blamed the US soldiers, claiming their vehicle failed to stop at the gate to the air base and security reacted.

The Pentagon was a little less cut and dry on the matter, saying they can’t say for sure if it was a “deliberate” attempt to kill US soldiers or some sort of misunderstanding. They say they are working with the Jordanian government to gather more details.

US trainers in Jordan are there to train Syrian rebels, an operation which has been ongoing for years. Last year in November, two US contractors were killed in another incident in which a police officer opened fire on them.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.