EXCLUSIVE: Jordan begins covert operations against IS in Syria | Middle East Eye | Dania Akkad |Last update: Saturday 26 March 2016
▻http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jordanian-special-forces-poised-enter-syria-2033698172
Jordan sent troops to retake a key Syria-Iraqi border crossing from Islamic State (IS) fighters in support of a wider campaign against the militant group in Syria, Middle East Eye can reveal.
King Abdullah II revealed the preparation of two special forces battalions for the covert action during a briefing in January to top-level US congressional members, including John McCain and Paul Ryan, telling the politicians that troops with “some balls” were needed to fight IS, according to a detailed account of the meeting seen by MEE.
One battalion, drawn from men from Syria’s southern tribes, was assessed by the British and is led by a Syrian commander, the king said.
He said a second battalion was moving as of mid-January towards al-Waleed border crossing, about 240km southeast of Palmyra, to cut IS routes between Iraq and Syria. In early March, US-backed “New Syrian Army” rebels captured the crossing from IS.
A source in contact with rebel fighters in Syria told MEE that Jordanian forces helped the rebels retake the crossing. Jordanian and US Central Command officials had not responded to MEE’s request for comment by the time of this story’s publication.(...)
