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Aqaba Attack May Signal New Zarqawi Front in Jordan

(Reuters) Suleiman al-Khalidi - A rocket attack which narrowly missed two U.S. warships in Jordan may be a signal Iraq's al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has opened a new front against Washington's closest Arab ally. "Zarqawi appreciates more than ever that by hitting the U.S. military in Jordan he would score not just a symbolic victory but maybe disrupt a hitherto safe supply route for the U.S. army into bases in the western desert (of Iraq)," said one intelligence expert. Jordan denies providing logistical backing to Washington's military campaign, though the U.S. military have said in briefings it has used the country as a main supply route. The last major attempt by Zarqawi's group last year was a plot to wage a chemical attack using suicide bombers against government and U.S. targets in the kingdom. Audio tapes purportedly from Zarqawi have vowed to punish Jordan's rulers for "aiding the treacherous enemy America." Security sources say Jordanian militants, who have become battle hardened in Iraq, may have brought their first-hand fighting skills closer to home.
2005-08-22 00:00:00
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