US to keep 1,500 troops in Jordan for time being

Washington: The United States has about 1,500 US troops in Jordan and they will remain there until the security situation improves, the White House told Congress on Friday. The US contingent in Jordan, which includes Patriot missile systems and fighter aircraft, is there to help the Jordanian government as it grapples with strains from the civil war in neighbouring Syria. A flood of refugees from Syria into Jordan has tested the Jordanian government of King Hussein, a close US ally. "These forces will remain in Jordan, in full coordination with the government of Jordan, until the security situation becomes such that they are no longer needed," a White House report said. The White House offered a glimpse into US military deployments in various global hotspots as part of a required notification to Congress. It said 200 US military personnel are currently deployed to Niger to provide support for intelligence collection in assisting French forces conducting operations in Mali in the face of a lingering Islamist threat in northern Mali. Some 120 US military personnel are working with an African Union regional task force to try to apprehend Joseph Kony and other leaders of the Lord`s Resistance Army. Kony is wanted by the International Criminal court for war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in a guerrilla war in Uganda and neighbouring states. The US forces involved in the operation are deployed to the Republic of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, the White House said.