On November 4, Jordanian troops shot and killed three US special forces soldiers who were described as “military trainers” at the time. The troops were killed at a checkpoint at the al-Jafr Air Base, and Jordanian officials said they didn’t stop like they were supposed to.
The situation is looking a lot more complicated now, with officials conceding that the US troops killed in the incident were actually working with the CIA in a program to train “moderate” rebels. Jordan is still insisting it was a simple checkpoint shootout gone wrong, one of those things that just happens at checkpoints. Instead of claiming the US troops didn’t stop, they’re now claiming one of their guns went off by mistake, and the Jordanian troops killed them because of heightened security.
US officials aren’t so sure, however, with the FBI launching an investigation and several officials saying they believe that the incident was an act of terrorism, and not a simple misunderstanding. The CIA has refused to comment on the soldiers’ link to them.
The incident is said to be the single deadliest incident involving a CIA team since December 2009, when seven were killed in an suicide attack in Afghanistan’s Camp Chapman. The attacker in that case was also working for the Jordanian government, having become a “triple agent” after being sent to infiltrate al-Qaeda.
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