Jordanian security forces clash with gunmen near Syria border



AMMAN, JORDAN- At least five people were killed in clashes Tuesday between Jordanian forces and suspected jihadists in a northern city near the Syrian border, security sources said.
The fighting, which continued in the evening in Irbid, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Amman, erupted during raids against armed men suspected of belonging to the Islamic State group, a Jordanian security official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.



Another source quoted by the official Petra news agency said four "outlaws" and a Jordanian captain were killed.
Two service members and two civilians were also wounded during the operation, the source said, adding that one person had been arrested.
Irbid in a few kilometres from the Syrian border where Jordanian security forces regularly detain drug traffickers and jihadists attempting to join extremist groups in Syria.
Jordan is part of a US-led military coalition that has been carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq.
The resource-poor country hosts more than 630,000 of the roughly 4.6 million Syrian refugees overseas, according to the UN refugee agency.
The Jordanian government gives a much higher estimate of 1.4 million, saying many of them are unregistered.
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Wednesday, March 2nd 2016
AFP
           


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