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Jordan police find suicide belts after eliminating militant cell in Karak

Published December 19th, 2016 - 02:01 GMT
Jordanian mourners carry the coffin of Ibrahim Bashbsha, a day after he died in an attack, on December 19, 2016 during his funeral in Karak, around 70 miles south of the capital Amman. (AFP/Khalil Mazraawi)
Jordanian mourners carry the coffin of Ibrahim Bashbsha, a day after he died in an attack, on December 19, 2016 during his funeral in Karak, around 70 miles south of the capital Amman. (AFP/Khalil Mazraawi)

Jordanian officials said Monday that police found suicide belts and other explosives in a hideout of suspected Daesh militants in the southern city of Karak, AFP reported.

The death toll stands at 14 after 10 people were killed, including a Canadian tourist, during a gun battle between militants and police. Four militants were later killed in a police raid.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but Jordanian authorities suspect Daesh was behind the shooting

"The four dead militants are Jordanian members of a terrorist cell suspected of belonging to IS (Daesh)," a security source told AFP.

In a press conference on Monday, government spokesperson and information minister Mohammed Momani said, "the King was on top of a meeting on policies and national security council... Jordan will keep fighting terrorism."

Officials in the press conference described the operation as "a complete success," adding that more information would be available later.

It is not yet clear whether any other suspects are still at large. 

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