The United States will keep Patriot missile batteries and F-16 fighter jets in Jordan after the completion of joint military exercises this month amid the crisis in neighbouring Syria, the Pentagon said on Saturday. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel "has approved a request from the Kingdom of Jordan for a detachment of F-16s and Patriot Missiles to remain in Jordan following the conclusion of the Eager Lion Exercise next week," Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement.
"All other US personnel assigned to Jordan for Eager Lion will depart at the conclusion of the exercise. The United States enjoys a longstanding partnership with Jordan and is committed to its defence," Little added. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces are fighting insurgents in a two-year-old civil war.
Patriot missiles could be used to protect US ally Jordan against any possible missile attack as the Syrian war threatens to widen into a more regional, sectarian conflict. Jordan and Syria's other neighbours are increasingly nervous the Syrian civil war will spill over its borders. A US official said earlier this month that the Eager Lion exercises - held annually with a theme of irregular warfare - include more than 8,000 service members from about 19 countries, running from June 9 to 20.
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