Posted on 11/11/2002 5:56:35 AM PST by blam
Monday, 11 November, 2002, 11:51 GMT
Army joins raid on Jordan city
Soldiers have been ordered in to the southern city of Maan to back up officers hunting for wanted Islamic militants.
At least four people have been killed since police officers stormed the city at dawn on Sunday and clashes are continuing with the operation which some say is to quell resistance ahead of any US-led conflict in Iraq.
The army operation will continue for as long as it takes to arrest all the outlaws
Among the fugitives being hunted is prominent Islamist leader Mohammad Shalabi - also known as Abu Sayyaf - who escaped an attempt to arrest him last month.
A total curfew has been imposed on the city of 100,000 people and witnesses say shops, schools and public offices are closed and telephone lines blocked.
About 25 people have been arrested but the search is continuing, Jordan's Information Minister Mohammad Adwan told the French news agency AFP.
"The special forces of the army, backed up by security forces, are searching all suspect homes and confiscating arms," he said.
"The army operation will continue for as long as it takes to arrest all the outlaws," he said, referring to Mr Shalabi and his followers.
Iraqi support
Mr Adwan told the Associated Press news agency that the hunted gang was involved in arms and drug smuggling, killings, assaults and robberies as well as challenging the government and burning cars belonging to university professors and dormitories housing female students.
Jordanians in the capital and elsewhere support their Iraqi neighbours
He denied the timing of the raid was linked to rising tensions over Iraq, saying: "This has nothing to do with politics."
But a security official said the raid in Maan, scene of numerous pro-Iraq riots in recent years, was part of a campaign to "put things in order before the possible war on Iraq".
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he told the Associated Press that authorities were attempting to get all armed groups under control to prevent violent protests.
Demonstrations in support of Iraq have turned into riots in recent years and correspondents say Jordanians remain strong supporters of their Arab neighbours.
Tribe protection
The situation in Maan, which is about 200 kilometres (130 miles) south of the capital Amman, has been tense for the last 10 days, since Mr Shalabi was wounded in a shootout with police.
Police officials say Mr Shalabi and two other leaders are being protected by members of their Bedouin tribes armed with assault rifles, hand grenades and other weapons.
Mr Shalabi and others have been on the authorities' wanted list since riots in Maan at the beginning of the year, which followed the controversial killing of a 17-year-old student during his arrest by police.
The operation also follows the assassination of an American, Laurence Foley, last month in what was the first murder of a Western diplomat in Jordan.
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