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Gunmen kill four policemen in Jordan's Karak

Tuesday, 20 December 2016 4:12 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 25 December 2016 8:44 AM ]

Jordanian security forces are seen on December 19, 2016 during the funeral of victims who were killed a day earlier in an attack in the city of Karak. (Photo by AFP)

Gunmen have killed at least four policemen during fierce clashes with security forces in the southern Jordanian city of Karak.

The clashes took place on Tuesday after security forces conducted a raid on a house in a village on the outskirts of Karak, where suspected militants were believed to be hiding.

A security source said that another policeman was also wounded in the fierce fighting.

The operation against gunmen was still ongoing across the violence-hit region, the source added.

The general security department said in a statement that the operation was launched to track down a number of suspects who were holed up in the house. The statement added that the police surrounded the house and the suspects opened fire on them.

Meanwhile, Haitham Ziadeen, a Jordanian member of parliament from Karak, confirmed that an operation was underway in the area to arrest gunmen wanted by the authorities, saying, "A shootout erupted after security forces arrived to raid a house in the Qarifla region of Karak province, where the gunmen have sought shelter."

This comes as Jordanian forces have launched a manhunt in search of suspects, who may have had links to a recent deadly attack in the region.

On Sunday, at least ten people lost their lives when unidentified armed men attacked police forces in the mountainous city of Karak, a tourist destination which is situated 120 kilometers south of the capital Amman.

The Jordanian General Security Directorate confirmed in a statement that seven of the deceased were policemen, two were Jordanian civilians and one was a Canadian tourist. Thirty people were also hospitalized.

Jordanian mourners carry the coffin of Ibrahim Bashbsha, a day after he died in an attack, on December 19, 2016 during his funeral in Karak. (Photo by AFP)

The Daesh Takfiri terrorist group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the deadly attack.

Jordan has come under several attacks from suspected Daesh terrorists over the past few months.

On November 7, three US soldiers were killed when gunmen fired shots at a car transporting the Americans at the entrance to al-Jafr military base near the southern Jordanian town of Mann. The slain American service members were reportedly in Jordan on a training mission.

Jordan is a major US ally in the Middle East, and a member of the coalition.

Many Jordanians oppose their country's involvement in the US-led campaign against purported Daesh positions in Iraq and Syria, arguing the campaign has often targeted civilians and raised security threats inside Jordan.

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