US sends troops to Jordan to help deal with Syria crisis
US sends troops to Jordan to help deal with Syria crisis Leon Panetta confirms Pentagon has sent team to bolster Jordan's military capabilities and help deal with refugees Associated Press guardian.co.uk , Wednesday 10 October 2012 15.25 BST The Pentagon's deployment of troops follows several days of shelling between Turkey and Syria. Photograph: Reuters The United States has sent military troops to the Jordan - Syria border to help bolster Jordan's military capabilities in the event that the violence in Syria spreads, according to defence secretary Leon Panetta. Speaking at a Nato conference of defense ministers in Brussels, Panetta said the US has been working with Jordan to monitor chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria and also to help Jordan deal with refugees moving across the border. However, the revelation of US military personnel being deployed so close to the Syrian conflict suggests an escalation...