Judeh told a news conference on Jan. 8 that Jordan has maintained a
presence in Afghanistan in cooperation with the United States, Middle East Newsline reported. He said the
focus of Jordan's mission was counter-insurgency.
"Our presence in Afghanistan today is twofold: Number one, to combat
terrorism and the root causes of terrorism, but also to help out in the
humanitarian effort that is needed there," Judeh said after meeting his U.S.
counterpart, Hillary Clinton.
Judeh did not report the size of Jordan's presence in Afghanistan.
Officials said Jordan, which receives about $500 million in American aid,
was one of the first pro-U.S. countries to send personnel to Afghanistan in wake of the invasion in 2002.
"We are not only part of a network of countries that are trying to
assist Afghanistan and Afghanis, but also trying to combat terror and
terrorism," Judeh said. "But we're also there to defend Jordan's national
interests and defend Jordanians and safeguard them against this growing
threat."
Officials said Jordan was helping NATO in intelligence missions in
Afghanistan. They said officers from Jordan's General Intelligence
Directorate (GID) were helping the CIA in interrogations of suspected Al Qaida
suspects in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
On Dec. 30, a Jordanian recruited by GID to penetrate the Al
Qaida leadership blew himself up in a CIA facility in Afghanistan. Seven CIA
agents and a GID officer were killed in what was regarded as the worst blow
to U.S. intelligence since the 2001 Al Qaida attack on New York and
Washington.
Judeh acknowledged a Jordanian intelligence presence in Afghanistan. He
suggested that Jordan and the United States were sharing information on Al
Qaida.
"So there is a Jordanian presence in Afghanistan," Judeh said. "It's
been there for many years. Again, a humanitarian presence, a logistical
presence, and intelligence operations to protect our own citizens and to
prevent terrorists from carrying out their heinous crimes. And information
is power, they used to say, but sharing information is also power, and I
think that sharing information between like minded countries is just as
effective in combating terror as combating terror directly."
