Jordanians protest proposed US troop deployment
Demonstrators in Amman warn that American soldiers' presence may be first step towards involvement in Syrian civil war
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — About 300 Jordanians demonstrated Friday against the proposed deployment of 200 US troops to their nation’s border with Syria.
Some protesters warned that the small force could be just the beginning of a process leading to US involvement in Syria’s civil war to secure its chemical weapons. Other demonstrators, backing the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, burned American flags.
At the Friday rally in Amman, leftists and independents chanted, “No to US troops in Jordan. This is not in our national interest.” They said they do not want to see a US-led invasion of Syria like the 2003 war in neighboring Iraq, based on faulty intelligence concerning weapons of mass destruction there.
Jordan has sent reinforcements to the border to prevent the fighting from spilling across.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press