JORDAN: CLASHES CONTINUE

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06747450
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: August 28, 2018
• Case Number: F-2016-02009
• Publication Date: April 9, 1971

Approved for Release: 2018/06/27 C06747450
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
WEEKLY SUMMARY
'Sant,
9 April 1971
No. 0365/71
Copy t42 54
g 7- ,2,Z g3-94/
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ET
The WEEKLY SUMMARY, issued every Friday morning by the
office of Current Intelligence, reports and analyzes significant
developments el the week through noon on Thursday. It fre-
quentiy include material coordinated with or prepared by the
Office of Economic Research, the Office of Strategic Research..
and the Directoiate of Science and Technology. Topics requir-
ing more comprehensive treatment and therefore published sep-
�irately as Specia.; Reports are listed in the contents pages.
WARNING
Tic WEEKLY SUMMARY contains classified information af-
iecting the national security of the United States, within the
meaning of Title 18, sections 793 and 794, of the US Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents to or re-
by an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
)1SSEMINATION CONTROLS
front materriati l
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CONTENTS
(Information as of noon EST, 8 April 19 71 )
Page
MIDDLE EAST - AFRICA
Jordan: Clashes Continue
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Jordan: Clashes Continue
As fighting between the fedayeen and gov-
ernment extended into a second week, King
Husayn publicly warned the guerrillas they must
withdraw their weapons from Amman or suffer
the consequences.
Fighting this past week was concentrated in
northern Jordan. On 4 April, army troops in the
area of Jarash battled with a Unit of the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine, estimated
to number about 200. A correspondent touring a
refugee camp in the same area reported the camp
was heavily armed, and provisions had been made
to defend it against an expected attack by the
army. The same day Palestine Liberation Organi-
zation (PLO) officials in Amman issued a public
statement in which they agreed to remove surplus
fedayeen weapons and personnel from the city
and to discharge the remaining obligations of
previous pacts with the government.
PLO chief Yasir Arafat, however, quickly
denied that such an agreement had been reached
and called upon the fedayeen�who he said had
no other choice�to continue fighting against the
government. Fedayeen leaders in Damascus also
quickly disavowed the reported arrangement and
declared that resistance forces would make no
more agreements with the Jordanian authorities
"regardless of the consequences."
Clashes erupted again on 7 April after a
fedayeen rocket attack on the Jordanian Air
Force base at Mafraq damaged two jets. The com-
mandos later claimed they had attacked the air
base in order to prevent the government from
using the aircraft against their strongholds in
northern Jordan. There was another clash in the
same area of Jarash, which was the scene of the
fighting on Sunday.
On 6 April, speaking to a gathering of repre-
sentatives of Jordanian professional groups, King
Husayn gave the fedayeen an ultimatum to get
their weapons and personnel out of the capital or
"the result will be cruel." According to the US
defense attach�the army has made contingency
plans to occupy the eastern half of Amman. The
units involved have been alerted, and the army is
waiting for the King's order to move. The army
also intends to reinforce units that would block
fedayeen forces in northern Jordan and in the
areas on the Syrian side of the border from
moving into Amman. The army reportedly antici-
pates five days of fighting in the capital. An
escape hatch to the desert area east of the city
will be open to the fedayeen.
The Cairo-arranged conference of ambas-
sadors from nine Arab states has still not met.
Wednesday, Amman declined an invitation, saying
it believed that an Arab summit conference must
be convened to resolve Jordanian-fedayeen dif-
ferences once and for all. /
� � �
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