Jordanian Officer Kills 2 American Soldiers in Amman

Two American military personnel and one South African were killed and six others injured when a Jordanian officer went on a shooting spree on Monday at a U.S.-funded security training facility near Amman, Jordan's government spokesman said. 

Mohammad Momani also told Reuters the attacker had been shot dead shot by Jordanian security forces and did not commit suicide as security sources had earlier said.

The Jordanian officer, a senior co-trainer with the rank of captain, wounded six people, including two Americans, one of whom was in critical condition, before being shot dead by Jordanian security forces.  

The incident took place in a facility that mainly trains Iraqi and Palestinian forces on the outskirts of the capital Amman.

The Jordanian went on a shooting spree at the facility in Muaqar on the eastern outskirts of the capital Amman, the source, who requested anonymity, said.

Another security source said there were unconfirmed reports that at least three other U.S. service personnel were injured,

Jordan is a staunch U.S. ally and part of the Washington-led coalition that is trying to defeat Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, both of which border Jordan.

The country hosts several hundred U.S. trainers who are part of a military program to bolster the kingdom's defense, including the stationing of F16 fighter jets that use Jordanian airfields to hit Islamic State positions in Syria.

But the kingdom's role in the war against Islamic State has caused disquiet among some Jordanians worried about instability at their borders and fearing that a stepped-up role in the campaign might lead to Islamist attacks in their country.

King Abdullah believes fervently that ultra hardline jihadists pose an existentialist threat to the kingdom.