Summary Jordanian and US army officers have launched multinational military exercises in Jordan.
ZARQA (AP) - Jordanian and US army officers have launched multinational military exercises involving border security and irregular warfare in this key U.S. Mideast ally.
The 12-day "Eager Lion" exercises bring together 8,000 personnel from 19 mainly Arab and European countries to bolster defense capabilities in the face of a possible flare-up from neighboring Syria.
"We don t intend to attack anybody," Jordanian Maj.Gen. Awni el-Edwan told reporters Sunday, while commenting on the annual exercises first ever deployment of U.S. Patriot missiles. Jordan has been jittery over reports of chemical weapons use in the two-year civil war.
Meanwhile, Syria s regime and its patron, Russia, have expressed concern over the Patriot deployment.
President Bashar Assad s forces appear to be regaining control in recent days over areas taken by rebels, particularly the strategic town of Qusair.
