Canada To Train Jordan Troops On Counter Terrorism

Canada will be training Jordanian troops over the next two years tactics to help the latter counter the rising terrorism in the region. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said the move was necessary because Jordan is part of the Middle East world where the radical ISIS Daesh is just a stone’s throw away from its borders.

Canada and Jordan are both members of the U.S.-led military coalition launching airstrikes in Iraq and Syria to destroy the Islamic State. The conflict in Syria over the past four years, according to the United Nations, has displaced 7.6 million people, where 3.9 million are refugees. About 1.5 million of these refugees are in Jordan.

"I keep frightening Americans by saying that's like having 65 million Canadians crossing the border in two years," King Abdullah II told a state luncheon in Ottawa. The figure, according to the Global Post, is equivalent to 25 percent of its own population.

The Globe and Mail, citing an unidentified source, reports the military training will include teaching Jordan conduct “enhanced monitoring and identification of terrorist and criminal activities across Jordan’s border.” Canada will also expand the kingdom’s knowledge on how to deal with threats “where explosives are involved.” Apart from these, Jordanian troops will also be trained how to deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

“We believe that this support will prevent [IS] terrorists from expanding their caliphate, and ultimately further improving the security of Canada and coalition allies from this global threat,” the senior government official said.

Canada has likewise pledged CA$122.8 million to help with the massive influx of Syrian refugees into Jordan. It will also help upgrade Jordan's maritime counterterrorism capacity, as well as assist establishing financial safeguards so that the ISIS Daesh won’t be able to access the international banking system.

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