Amman: Jordan's air force has carried out strikes against groups in Syria in retaliation for an attack on a Greek Orthodox Church in Karak that killed nine people and wounded more than two dozen, Jordanian state media reported on Monday.
The operation “resulted in the killing and wounding of many members of these terrorist groups and the destruction of a number of their vehicles”, state media said. It did not identify the groups or specify the precise location of the strikes. Syrian officials did not comment immediately.
Three suspects arrested in Jordan
Earlier on Monday, Jordanian authorities arrested three men suspected of carrying out Friday's attack. The arrests followed a dawn shootout in which all three men were wounded, officials said.
The Public Security Directorate later identified the suspects as brothers Hazzah Zaidan Mohammad and Mishal Zaidan Mohammad, and their brother-in-law Ahmad Sami Hussein. All three are Jordanian and were taken into custody in Karak, south of the capital, Amman.
The attack targeted the Greek Orthodox Church during a funeral in Karak, about 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Amman. The town is home to a minority Christian population.
The incident shocked Jordan, which declared three days of mourning for the victims. No group immediately claimed responsibility, and the attackers' motive remained unknown.
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The head of the Public Security Directorate described the gunmen as “takfiri”, a term used for Sunni militants, but said they were not linked to any organised group.
“They only represent themselves,” Major General Obaidallah Abd Rabbo Al-Maayta told a news conference.
He also said a large cache of munitions had been found in the abandoned house where Jordanian forces apprehended the men.
Interior Minister Mazen Al-Faraya said the attack by the three men was the result of “a terroristic, extremist way of thinking”.
“If this way of thinking is not resolved, we will see incidents like this again,” he told reporters.
King Abdullah vows action
Jordan's King Abdullah II had ordered authorities to respond with “an iron fist” against what he called the outlaws of Islam and anyone attempting to undermine the unity of the Jordanian people.
“We vowed the terrorists would not escape punishment, and no proponent of dark ideologies that divide Jordanians will be tolerated,” he said in a statement on Monday.
Families express relief over arrests
Relatives of the victims said the arrests had brought them some relief, although their grief remained.
“Despite the profound and immense tragedy, what happened today has eased our grief — and the grief of the Jordanian people — not just for us, the families of the martyrs," Khaled al-Borqan, a survivor of the attack and a relative of three people killed, told Al-Mamlaka.
“Despite the sadness and pain, the news brought us joy,” Fares Halaseh, an uncle of one of the victims and a survivor of the attack, told the television station.
But the pain remains, he added. “We will not forget this agony for years to come.”
