Five General Intelligence Department (GID) personnel were killed early Monday in an attack on the department’s office in the Palestinian refugee camp of Baqaa, a government official announced. The attack killed five service members, Jordan says: a staff sergeant; two corporals; a lance corporal; and a private.
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The Baqaa refugee camp is the largest camp in Jordan.
Jordan now hosts an estimated 3 million Palestinian refugees, most of whom live in 10 refugee camps throughout the country.
Momani had no description of the assailants, adding only: “Security forces are chasing these culprits and investigating the circumstances of the terrorist attack”.
The kingdom, an ally of the United States for decades and which has close security ties with Israel, has always been a target of radical Sunni fundamentalist groups including both al Qaeda and Islamic State (ISIS).
Jordan is a key Arab member of the US -led anti-ISIS coalition and has carried out strikes against the group in both Iraq and Syria. Dozens have left the camp to join jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq.
King Abdullah has repeatedly warned that the threat from ultra-hardline Sunni groups poses the biggest threat to Jordan’s long-term stability.
No-one has yet said they carried out the attack. The camp is a vast facility housing some 120,000 Palestinian refugees situated about 20 kilometers (more than 12 miles) from the capital, Amman.
“Preserving the stability of Jordan is a religious duty and necessity”, said the statement by the mainstream Islamist party.
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Describing it as a “terrorist” act, Momani said the targeting of the office on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan showed “a clear indication of their criminal behavior and their deviation from our religion”, according to Petra.
