SITUATION IN JORDAN 19 SEPTEMBER 1970

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-556-6-3-5
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: December 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: September 19, 1970
• Content Type: REPORT

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SITUATION IrT JORDAN 1.9 SEPTEMBER c1970 ~
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/12/16 : LOC-HAK-556-6-3-5
were held by the army but under fire from the fedayeen.
We have no reports on their status today.'
~ Irbid: This mayor fedayeen stronghold has been the scene
of fighting since the beginning of the month and
o___., underwent a particularly heave assault vesterdav_
~~
9
arrmy units astr~,de the road have not intervened.
Jor an army seeks to block fedayeen reinforcements
from Syria, which yesterday included some 50 tanks.
As of this morning the Jordan army appeared to be
holding at least the southezn sector of Ramtha and'
was blacking thQ road with a tank force. The Iraqi
areas were beinct shelled.I
as yesterday, and Jabal
north is under artillery fire. The camps have been.
thernain focus of fedayeen resistance. Fighting con--
tinues around the US Embassy, though not as heavily
only pockets of resistance remain. e camp to t e
Amman: Army positions are about the same as yesterday. They..
have tanks or armored cars in the streets of contested.
areas, but the fedayeen ho~.d the buildings. A small
armored column had penetrated, east of the first circle
this morning. Wahdaf refugee camp south o~ the city .25X1
The airports: Yesterday the. airports at Amman and Mafraq
Ramtha--Uar'a: Fighting in this area has been heavy as the
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The "Liberated" Area: We have seen no further references to
this entity. Fighting continues throughout the area
South of Irbid and west of Mafraq. Zarga appears to
be held by the army.
Local intervention: The fedayeen have been scouring the
neig oring countries for reinforcements from their
own ranks and .for volunteers from the Syrian and Iraqi
armies. Except for yesterday's sortie by tanks from
Syria--and this was a "denzable" operation--there has
been no move toward intervention by any neighboring.
state .
(this morning Radio Cairo broadcast
appeals from Nasir to both HuSa n and Arafat for a
48-hoax ceasefire.
A ag a 25X1
roadcast almost immediately rejected Nasir`s appeal
on behalf of the local. Palestine Resistance Organi-
zation representative. There has been no authoritative
response, however, from either ~Iusayn or Arafat. -
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25X1
fighting among themselves..
Soviet attitude: The soviets have made contact with Mr. Davies
ere in town and with Ambassador Beam in Moscow
expressing their hope that we have no intention of
intervening in O'ordan. The approaches have been low-
key. The Soviet press is likewise taking a fairly
flat approach, deploring the fighting and urging
the Arabs n?t to give openings to the imperialists by
Cairo attitude: Egyptian newspaper and rad~.o commentaries
continue to deplore the fighting in Jordan without
'leaning heavily to one side or the other. Cairo's
Voice of the Arabs yesterday accused Iraq of foment-
ing t e trou e and then ducking out. Al-Ahram this
morning warned against foreign intervention in Jordan
and said that._"only ,Arabs have the legitimate right
Iiosl=ages: A PFLP spokesman in Beirut said yesterday the 5~
hostages were in good condition. A senior regresenta-
tive of the front told the embassy yesterday the I]FLP
was ready to negotiate with the Red Cross for the
early release o.f the hostages, some of whom required
medical treatment. He said they were housed in areas
away from the fighting? ~,te have no information this
morning on the hostages' situation ar vn negotiations
for their re~.ease.
25X1
No Objection to Declassification in Part 2010/12/16 : LOC-HAK-556-6-3-5