Jordan: police officers killed during raid against suspected killers

Jordan’s Public Security Directorate has announced that three police officers were killed this morning and five others were wounded during a raid to arrest the suspected killers of a senior policeman last week. One suspect was also killed during the raid and eight people were arrested as part of the ongoing investigations.

The assistant police chief of Maan was killed on Friday during protests against high fuel prices in the Hashemite Kingdom. The Interior Minister as well as King Abdullah II warned that they will deal firmly with such protests if they turn into riots and guns are fired.

Nevertheless, protests continue in the southern governorates after two weeks of demonstrations and road closures, to demand a reduction in fuel prices, but they are less intense than before. Media images show security forces negotiating with protesters to open the roads that they have blocked.

In a related context, the municipal council in the Karak Governorate in the south of Jordan called for a general strike to be held today. The council said that it is urging the other provinces to participate in the strike in protest at the high prices.

The current protests in Jordan were sparked after truck drivers demanded a reduction in the price of diesel fuel on 4 December. The drivers’ protest turned into a strike, blocking the roads connecting the capital and the southern governorates. They were joined by public transport drivers as the strike spread across the country.

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