View Full Version : UPDATE WITH VIDEO: Report is out on the killing of 3 US SF operators in Jordan
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/07/politics/report-us-green-berets-jordan/index.html
In the end, it was one of their team members that put down their killer, a Jordanian soldier.
This situation prompts me to harken back to a previous post titled Always, Always be aware of your surroundings and situation, especially
when it includes muslims as they are unpredictable and harbor deep seated animosities that can spontaniously erupt.
Theirs is essentially a tribal conflict and we ain't in their tribe.
That stinks, but I don't find it hard to believe at all. Anyone having to work training unknown persons has a tough time of it in terms of making sure a bad apple doesn't get into the basket. This, IMO, is worse when we mix in religious ideologies.
I am surprised that we handicap our troops with no armor and only side arms. In the ME. Where people pretty much hate us on a fundamental level.
That stinks, but I don't find it hard to believe at all. Anyone having to work training unknown persons has a tough time of it in terms of making sure a bad apple doesn't get into the basket. This, IMO, is worse when we mix in religious ideologies.
I am surprised that we handicap our troops with no armor and only side arms. In the ME. Where people pretty much hate us on a fundamental level.
Jordan is one of our closest allies over there, probably had something to do with it.
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Jordan is one of our closest allies over there, probably had something to do with it.
Not sure if not wearing body armor was a decision made by these guys locally as they saw the situation or if it was ordered not to be worn. I have a hard time believing some higher-up would order his guys NOT to wear body armor because of the sensitivities of an ally. Guessing the security situation was acceptable to those SF guys and they went without.
Before anyone jumping deeper into some kind of conclusion, it was not stated how the incident got started. Late last year as the incident happened, there were reports that the Jordanian soldier was a guard at a check point into a military facility and the US servicemen were in their vehicle trying to enter the base. This article in my link above stated in part:
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe was killed instantly and Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen was mortally wounded when the Jordanian guard, Cpl. Ma'arik Al-Tawayha, opened fire on their vehicle while it was stopped at the gate.
So that part somewhat confirmed the initial reports. So this couldn't have been a training incident where the SF were teaching live fire on the line and a Rogue Jordanian went crazy and started shooting them. Based on that, we don't know if the SF were in uniform or civilian clothes as the were in their vehicle at the gate.
Next logical question is, could the Jordanian soldier mistook the Americans as some unfriendly trying to gain illegal access to the base? language barrier could be an issue. One thing leads to another and a trigger happy, nervous Jordanian ordering American soldiers to comply, and the SF were not about to be disarmed by some lowly Jordanian and boom, we have a shoot out. All my guess based on this sentence:
"After unsuccessfully trying to communicate to the shooter that they posed no threat, the soldiers returned fire," the report said.
Where were the other Jordanian guards? You don't guard a gate with one guy and an M16? The report only stated that the remaining SF operator shot down the shooter, one shooter.
Still lots of unexplained.
Jordan is one of our closest allies over there, probably had something to do with it.
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I'm sure it did. Those men are still dead though, so maybe a bit more thought should be given to the whole allies thing.
Before anyone jumping deeper into some kind of conclusion, it was not stated how the incident got started. Late last year as the incident happened, there were reports that the Jordanian soldier was a guard at a check point into a military facility and the US servicemen were in their vehicle trying to enter the base. This article in my link above stated in part:
Army Staff Sgt. Kevin McEnroe was killed instantly and Staff Sgt. Matthew Lewellen was mortally wounded when the Jordanian guard, Cpl. Ma'arik Al-Tawayha, opened fire on their vehicle while it was stopped at the gate.
So that part somewhat confirmed the initial reports. So this couldn't have been a training incident where the SF were teaching live fire on the line and a Rogue Jordanian went crazy and started shooting them. Based on that, we don't know if the SF were in uniform or civilian clothes as the were in their vehicle at the gate.
Next logical question is, could the Jordanian soldier mistook the Americans as some unfriendly trying to gain illegal access to the base? language barrier could be an issue. One thing leads to another and a trigger happy, nervous Jordanian ordering American soldiers to comply, and the SF were not about to be disarmed by some lowly Jordanian and boom, we have a shoot out. All my guess based on this sentence:
"After unsuccessfully trying to communicate to the shooter that they posed no threat, the soldiers returned fire," the report said.
Where were the other Jordanian guards? You don't guard a gate with one guy and an M16? The report only stated that the remaining SF operator shot down the shooter, one shooter.
Still lots of unexplained.
Were these guys 5th Group? If so they should have a rudimentary working knowledge of Arabic. If from another Group maybe not.
Video released of the gunfight, no sound:
http://www.chron.com/houston/article/Security-video-released-of-attack-in-Jordan-that-11340259.php
The guard that raised the vehicle arm took off running, I guess right after his buddy started shooting at the American vehicle. Another guard in the shack to the left of the screen started to come out and suddenly went back inside pulling the door close. We see the SF personnel getting out of their p.u. trucks and took cover behind the barriers, occasionally waving their empty hands, I assume to signal that they were friendlies. After a minute or so, the American retreated further and we see the Jordanian started advancing, first toward the trucks then suddenly charging the Americans. I believe we see the US SF came around the barrier and engaged the rifle carrying Jordanian within 10 feet of each other and putting the end to the attack.
Video with explanation of the event by US SF member that survived the fight:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/world/middleeast/special-forces-jordan-shootout-survivor.html?referer=
The muzzy POS who did it was not killed. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison by the Jordanians. Now I'll bet Jordan executes people so why the hell didn't he get hanged?
The muzzy POS who did it was not killed. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison by the Jordanians. Now I'll bet Jordan executes people so why the hell didn't he get hanged?
That's a good question.
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