Candlelight vigil held in memory of fallen soldiers

AMMAN — Around 60 Jordanians gathered outside the Professional Associations Complex in Shmeisani on Tuesday night for a candlelight vigil held in memory of the Jordanian troops who were killed following a suicide attack near the Syrian border.

Families and their children took part in the event, waving Jordanian flags and chanting slogans in sympathy with the Jordanian soldiers and against Daesh.

Khaled Ramadan, one of the participants, said Jordanians are crying not because they are afraid, but because they feel proud of their soldiers and their achievements in protecting the country and its borders.

“The soldiers who fell martyrs were protecting our country to keep it safe. All segments of society coming from either the badia, camp or countryside are here to express our support to combating these oppressive forces,” he told The Jordan Times as he was lighting a candle.

Suhair Abdul Hadi, another participant, said no entity will dare scare the Jordanian people.

“We as citizens should stand with the army because they are part of us and they are our children. We need to be vigilant of any attempt to disturb our unity,” she added.

Osama Haddad, who took part in the vigil, said that Jordanians should all stand as one, adding that the stance of all Jordanians is against terrorism.

“People should know the real meaning of terrorism and they should be aware that we as Arabs and Muslims are against terrorism,” he said.

The terrorists targeted a military post dedicated to serving Syrian refugees at a makeshift encampment in the border area.

Four border troops, a member of the Civil Defence Department and a Public Security Department (PSD) officer were killed. Nine PSD officers were among the 14 injured, the army said.