Kingdom marks first anniversary of Karak terror attack

AMMAN — On the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks that took place in the Karak Castle on December 18, 2016, experts and citizens called for further enhancing the Kingdom’s role in maintaining security and stability amidst a turbulent region.

Ten people, including four police officers and three gendarmes, were killed in the attack in the southern governorate of Karak, which also resulted in the killing of four terrorists.

Two civilians and a Canadian national were killed, and 34 civilians and police officers injured when the four gunmen stormed the southern city and fired at security and civilians before heading to Karak Castle.

Safwan Maaytah, brother of Col. Saed Maaytah who lost his life in the attack, said that Saed decided to enter the castle to save innocent lives, free hostages and stop the terrorists, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported on Sunday. 

Saed participated in the raid after he collected information from security apparatuses and injured people he met while on his way to Karak, Safwan noted.

Professor of international relations at the University of Jordan (UJ) Hassan Momani said that Jordan has good experience in dealing with terrorism and regional crises, which enabled the Kingdom to foil many terrorist plots.

He noted that Jordan has a comprehensive strategy in dealing with terrorism, mainly based on cooperation and coordination with several countries and joining international alliances that aim at fighting terrorism.

Former Social Development minister Amin Mashagbeh said that Jordan is a target for terrorists, referring to Amman bombings in 2005 and Irbid attacks, in addition to the Karak attack, adding that, despite these incidents, the Kingdom succeeded in maintaining its security and stability. 

Mashagbeh, who is also a professor of political sciences at UJ, said that the Karak incident proved the awareness of Jordanians and Karak residents in particular, who cooperated with security personnel in killing the terrorists.

Researcher of political affairs Saleh Khawaldeh said that the attacks were a reaction against Jordan’s efforts in combating terrorism, violence and dark ideologies, stressing that the incident instead emphasised the true image of solidarity among Jordanians.