Confirmed: Pentagon Deploys Military Forces to Jordan-Syria Border

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has
confirmed that US troops have been dispatched
to the Jordan-Syrian border to help bolster the
former’s military capabilities in case violence
escalates in the volatile region.
"We have a group of our forces there working to
help build a headquarters there and to insure
that we make the relationship between the
United States and Jordan a strong one so that we
can deal with all the possible consequences of
what's happening in Syria," Panetta said.
Panetta’s comments came during a NATO
conference of defense ministers in Brussels,
where he said the US had been working with
Jordan to monitor chemical and biological
weapons sites in Syria and help the country deal
with Syrian refugees crossing over the border.
The US has previously used Jordan as a base for
other Syria-related military activities. In May of
this year, Washington held military drills in Jordan
dubbed ‘Operation Eager Lion,’ which saw around
12,000 troops from several nations participate in
undisclosed training exercises.
A US defense official in Washington said the
forces were composed of 100 military planners
and other personnel who had stayed on in Jordan
after attending the annual exercise in May.
Several dozen more had subsequently been flown
in, and they are operating from a joint US-
Jordanian military center north of the capital, the
official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told
AP.
The Obama administration denied accusations in
the Syrian media that the exercises were a threat
against President Assad, and maintained that the
action focused on the treatment of refugees, anti-
terrorism tactics and naval interception of
smuggling vessels.
Following the operation, a small US contingent
stayed behind to establish the center in Amman,
paving the way for the arrival of more personnel.
“We have been working closely with our Jordanian
partners on a variety of issues related to Syria for
some time now,” Pentagon Press Secretary
George Little said. Citing Washington’s concern
over Syria’s stockpiles of chemical and biological
weapons, he said that the US has been planning
“various contingencies, both unilaterally and with
our regional partners.”
The US has long maintained concerns about the
Assad government’s arsenal of chemical and
biological weapons. In August, US President
Obama said the movement or utilization of
chemical weapons would constitute a “red line”
which would change Washington’s “calculus”
towards Damascus.
Last week Panetta said intelligence suggested
that Assad’s government had moved chemical
weapons to protect them, though they are
believed to be secure.
The Syrian conflict took an unexpected turn last
week when mortar fire struck across the border at
neighboring Turkey, sparking outcry from the
Turkish government who subsequently returned
fire. Turkey deployed 25 new F-16 fighter jets to
reinforce its borders this week as NATO pledged
support if the conflict spills into the country
again.
Since uprisings against the embattled President
Assad began last year, the UN estimated that
more than 20,000 people were killed in the
conflict and some 700,000 fled Syria to seek
refuge in neighboring countries.