State media reported that gunmen exchanged fire with Jordanian security forces Tuesday, killing four policemen during a raid on a suspected hideout for wanted men.

The raid took place in a central province of Jordan where two days earlier gunmen killed nine Jordanians and a Canadian tourist in shooting attacks claimed by the extremist Daesh group.

The state news agency Petra said there was no connection between Tuesday’s clash and Sunday’s shootings, but did not elaborate. It said two gunmen were arrested Tuesday.

Sunday’s shootings were the bloodiest in Jordan in recent memory and raised new concerns about the rise of Islamist militancy in the pro-Western kingdom.

Jordan plays a key role in the US-led military campaign against Daesh, which seized large areas in neighbouring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a “caliphate” there.

Sunday’s shootings took place in the town of Qatraneh in Karak province and in the provincial capital of Karak city. Hours after an initial attack on a police patrol in Qatraneh, four gunmen were killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and popular tourist destination.

The Daesh claim of responsibility was published Tuesday on “Shumoukh Al Islam,” a password-protected website affiliated with the extremist group.

The statement said that “four soldiers of the caliphate” armed with machine guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks, killing 10 “apostates.” It said the four Daesh fighters were engaged in “fierce clashes lasting several hours” with Jordanian forces before being killed.

The statement threatened more attacks in anti-Daesh coalition member states. “We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ...,” it said.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers.

Seven members of the Jordanian security forces, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Jordan has been facing homegrown extremism hundreds of Jordanians are fighting alongside other Daesh militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more are believed to support the extremist group in the kingdom.

 

source : gulfnews