Jordan soldier jailed for life for killing 3 US troops

By Laith al-Junaidi

AMMAN (AA) - Jordan’s military court of appeals on Thursday upheld a sentence handed down earlier against a Jordanian soldier convicted of killing three U.S. Army Green Berets in Jordan’s Al-Jafr Airbase last November.

In mid-July, a Jordanian military court slapped the soldier, Ali al-Tuwayha, with life behind bars after convicting him of killing the three U.S. staff sergeants.

“The appeal process is the last phase of the trial,” al- Tuwayha’s lawyer, Sobhi al-Mawas, said.

“The sentence now awaits approval by the chairman of the [Jordanian] Joint Chiefs-of-Staff in line with the regulations governing military trials,” he added.

The case dates back to November 4, when three U.S. Army Green Berets were killed in an exchange of fire with Jordanian military personnel at southern Jordan’s Al-Jafr Airbase.

While the incident was initially dogged by conflicting reports, Jordan’s official Petra news agency later reported that the U.S. servicemen had run a roadblock outside the airbase, failing to heed calls to stop by Jordanian guards protecting the base.

Two U.S. Army Green Berets were instantly killed in the ensuing exchange, while a third later succumbed to his injuries.