Jordanian cop shoots two US trainers
According to Reuters, a Jordanian police officer opened fire upon and killed two US troops who were training Jordanian forces in that country. The murderer then killed himself;
Another security source said there were unconfirmed reports that at least three other US service personnel were injured,
Jordan is a staunch US ally and part of the Washington-led coalition that is trying to defeat Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, both of which border Jordan.
The country hosts several hundred US trainers who are part of a military program to bolster the kingdom’s defenses, including the stationing of F16 fighter jets that use Jordanian airfields to hit Islamic State positions in Syria.
Of course, this highlights a problem with US forces training forces in the region during this war against the Islamic State. Green-on-blue attacks committed against US forces killed scores of US troops in Afghanistan and they are particularly difficult to defend against because of US troops being outnumbered by their supposed allies. Jordan has been a friend to the US in our wars in the region, so this is particularly difficult.
Stars & Stripes reports that a South African contractor was also killed in the same incident.
Category: Terror War
Yes, well, here’s the thing. We are accustomed to using terms such as allies to describe those with whom we are aligned for a common military purpose. Who determines that? Governments, that’s who. Unfortunately, when it comes to this ME business, we cannot have genuine allies among the Muslim nations because we cannot be allied with our enemy. So, there, I said it. Have at it.
Too many muslims sympathize with the notion that the US is indeed the great satan…as you point out those governments might be our “allies” but their people might well hate us and while smiling to our face plot to kill us behind our back….
Far too much of that experience in muslim nations already, islam is the enemy as you point out and I agree that it’s time we come out and fucking state the obvious.
I am weary of the parsing. In WW I we didn’t fight the “bad Germans.” We fought the Germans. In WW II, we didn’t fight the bad Germans or the bad Japanese. We fought the Germans and the Japanese. Distinguishing among those who were NAZI Party members and warmongers from those who did their military duty as they were required came later, after their asses were kicked. Somehow, in the ME and elsewhere today, we are told not to regard Muslims as enemy and, in fact, to regard most as friends and innocents. Such thinking costs lives–American lives. And so it shall continue until some Islamic nation is laid waste and the message is received.
I am weary of our military being used NOT for the purposes of killing people and breaking things. We have come a long way from “Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war.” A long way in the wrong direction.
Commissar says you’re a mean, mean racist and a homophobe.
I am mean. I am not a racist, especially when it comes to women. Does that make me a racial sexist? That third one (homophobe) has always struck me as odd in that those of us who view sodomites as just that are not fearful of them, let alone irrationally fearful of them. Just the same, I’ll accept the label in the mean spirit in which it is intended. Hey, that’s two outta three and that ain’t bad.
Wonder what the local weapons policy was/is. Big Army loves to disarm soldiers every time they can.
This is an update from Reuters: ‘Mohammad Momani told Reuters that the attacker was shot dead by Jordanian security forces; he did not commit suicide as security forces earlier reported.’
This is going to be a problem, no matter what. The gap in trust is wide enough. Now US troops have be even more vigilant. Why not just move the entire training thing to Detroit or Baltimore or the south side of Chicago? Those are all war zones, aren’t they?
Oh, G-d, here we go again! Why are we still there? Other than to feed O’Bozo’s hubris? And ValJay’s connection to the Muzzie Brotherhood?
We need to be out of there, la-de-dah-dee-everybody, and throw in a box of knives as we shut the door behind us.
My thoughts of sympathy go out to the families of my countrymen and to the family of the man from South Africa.
Also, I would like to mention that we recently lost a former USMC aviator.
Mr. Moran was a test pilot of the civilian AW609 Tilt Rotor project and was killed when the prototype he was piloting crashed.
http://helihub.com/2015/10/30/agustawestland-aw609-test-flight-fatal-accident/
Wow, this one is close to home. I spent time as a trainer in Jordan. The vast majority of the Jordanians I worked with were professional and cooperative individuals that I would definitely consider allies. But there were also a small number who did not seem to appreciate our assistance. If you look at our own military and the wide gap social and political views among service members, some antagonism from host nation partners isn’t shocking. The problem is when differing political views becomes fanaticism.