OMM Newsroom
Jordan said Tuesday that strikes carried out by its army in Syria killed more than 20 members of the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group and destroyed a major weapons depot, Anadolu Agency reported.
Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said the strikes followed Jordan’s loss of patience with the movements of terrorist groups and threats to its national security.
“The operation was based on field intelligence aimed at neutralizing confirmed threats and planned terrorist attacks against Jordan,” he said.
Al-Momani said initial results indicated significant losses for ISIS, estimated at more than 20 members, and the destruction of a major weapons depot belonging to the group.
Jordan says it is coordinating with Syria
Al-Momani expressed regret over civilian casualties, saying Jordan had refrained from striking locations where intelligence indicated civilians were present.
“Jordan takes precautions to avoid harming civilians and attaches the same importance to the lives of innocent civilians outside its borders as it does to the lives of Jordanians,” he said.
Jordanian authorities are following up on the matter with their Syrian counterparts, the spokesman said. The two countries would establish a joint committee to address the consequences of the operation and develop coordination against ISIS while protecting civilians, he added.
Al-Momani said Jordan valued its relations with Syria and was committed to expanding cooperation in addressing shared challenges. Coordination between Amman and Damascus against terrorism, weapons smuggling and drug smuggling had been institutional and continuous for years, he said.
“Jordan’s security and Syria’s security are one,” Al-Momani said, adding that combating terrorism remained a shared objective.
Jordan links security cooperation to church attack
Al-Momani linked the threat to a recent church attack in the village of Hamoud in Jordan’s Karak governorate that killed nine people. He said the two countries would continue to strengthen security cooperation.
He also said Jordan supported Syria’s security, unity and internal stability, and coordinated with international parties to safeguard Syrian territory and stability, particularly in southern Syria.
“No one can question Jordan’s commitment toward Syria,” Al-Momani said, citing Jordan’s hosting of Syrians and continued support for them.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry said early Tuesday that it had conveyed objections to Jordan over the strikes, which it said were conducted without prior coordination. Syrian authorities said seven people were killed.
