The US Embassy in Jordan is refuting Amman’s claim that its trainers sparked a deadly shooting incident at a Jordanian military base this month by disobeying orders from Jordanian soldiers. The shooting killed three Americans.
The three slain Americans were assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky. They were identified as 27-year-old Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen, of Lawrence, Kansas; 30-year-old Staff Sgt. Kevin J. McEnroe of Tucson, Arizona; and 27-year-old Staff Sgt. James F. Moriarty of Kerrville, Texas.
They died after the convoy they were in came under fire as it entered the al-Jafr air base in southern Jordan on November 4. The Americans were in Jordan on a training mission.
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Sgt. 1st Class Matthew C. Lewellen, November 7, 2016 (AP Photo/Steve Ruark)
Embassy spokesman Eric Barbee says investigators are considering all possible motives and “have not yet ruled out terrorism as a potential motive.”
After the shooting, Jordan’s state news agency Petra reported that the slain American military trainers had disobeyed direct orders from Jordanian troops, which led to a deadly exchange of small-arms fire.
Barbee says there’s “absolutely no credible evidence” for the claim. Jordan later issued a different statement removing the claim.
— AP
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