Gunmen killed four Jordanian policemen in a new shootout Tuesday in Karak, where a weekend attack claimed by the Islamic State group left 10 people dead, a security source said. Security forces came under fire after launching a raid to track down suspects following Sunday's assault, whose victims included a Canadian tourist, the source said, adding that the operation was still ongoing.
But another senior security source quoted by the official Petra news agency said that the suspects were not linked to the "terrorist group" behind Sunday's attack. The general security department said in a statement that police surrounded a house where the gunmen were holed up and that the suspects opened fire on them.
A Jordanian member of parliament from Karak, Haitham Ziadeen, confirmed that an operation was under way to arrest wanted gunmen. "A shootout erupted after security forces arrived to raid a house in the Qarifla region of Karak province, where the gunmen have sought shelter," he said. Sunday's shooting spree in Karak, home to one of the region's biggest Crusader castles, killed seven policemen and two Jordanian civilians as well as the Canadian tourist.
A total of 34 other people were wounded, including the son of the Canadian holidaymaker and another foreigner, according to authorities. Four assailants were killed by the Jordanian security forces after an hours-long siege of the Crusader castle, where the suspects had fled after opening fire on police patrols and a police station in the city. The Islamic State group on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by four "soldiers of the caliphate" who used machine-guns and hand grenades.
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