<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile Ñ Jordan's king purges senior military officers: 'Paranoid but not wrong'

Jordan's king purges senior military officers: 'Paranoid but not wrong'

Monday, August 17, 2009   E-Mail this story   Free Headline Alerts

AMMAN Ñ Jordan's king has launched a purge of the military, during an assessment of increasing internal threats.

Jordanian sources said King Abdullah ordered the dismissal of dozens of senior officers, including major and brigadier generals. The sources said generals were forced to agree to early retirement.

"Right now, the king has gotten to the point where he trusts very few people, including his longtime Bedouin allies," a Western intelligence analyst said. "This might make him paranoid, but not wrong." The officers were not identified, but the sources said they included commanders of key units. The sources said the imposition of early retirement was deemed an administrative procedure.

"This took place in August and will mean major changes in the military," a source said.

The purge was said to have taken place days after the visit by Abdullah to the military's General Headquarters on Aug. 6. In an address to the General Staff, the king warned of internal and external plots designed to spark unrest among the Palestinian majority.

"I clearly reiterate that no force can compel us to do anything against the interests of Jordan and Jordanians," Abdullah said. "The one who speaks about threatening Jordan, its identity and stability, and threatening our national unity, does not know Jordan or Jordanians and has not read their history."

At the same time, Abdullah promised the military to intensify modernization efforts. He said this would include an improvement of conditions for officers and soldiers. Jordan's military has been deemed one of the most modern in the Middle East.

The sources did not say whether the king's address was directly connected to the purge. But they said Abdullah and his aides have been concerned by the rise of the Palestinian Hamas movement in the Hashemite kingdom as well as the presence of Iraqi Sunni tribal chiefs who relocated to Amman over the last five years.

Another threat, the sources said, has come the United States, regarded as the leading source of military aid to Jordan. They said Americans close to the administration of President Barack Obama have been consulting with rivals of Abdullah within the royal family.

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