The Jordanian Public Security Directorate announced in a statement that Colonel Abdel-Razzaq Abdel-Hafez Al-Dalabih, deputy chief of police in Ma’an, in the south of the country, was shot dead during protests against raising fuel prices.
Riots erupted in the city of Karak, Al-Hussainiya and other cities in southern Jordan, in protest against the increase in fuel prices.
A statement by the General Security said late on Wednesday evening that Colonel Al-Dalabeh was killed by a gunshot wound to the head area while he was dealing with riots that were being carried out by a group of vandals and outlaws in the Husseiniya area in Ma'an Governorate.
The Directorate mourned al-Dalabeh and stressed that it "continues its work to preserve the security of the homeland and protect its citizens, and will strike with an iron fist against anyone who attempts to attack lives and public property and threatens the security of the homeland and the citizen," as it put it.
The Public Security Directorate stressed that, "while ensuring the protection of freedom of opinion and peaceful expression, it will deal, in accordance with the provisions of the law and using appropriate force, with anyone who engages in riots and vandalism, wherever they are, and will not allow criminals and vandals to exploit this circumstance to harm the lives of citizens and terrorize them."
warning
On Wednesday, the US embassy in Jordan warned its citizens against personal and official travel to 4 governorates in the south of the country, which are Karak, Tafila, Maan and Aqaba, until further notice.
The embassy stated in a statement that this measure comes "due to reports of ongoing protests, burning tires and throwing stones at vehicles in the streets and highways throughout Jordan, especially in the south."
And she warned that "road closures and related security incidents are frequent and unpredictable, and emergency services face significant delays when responding to requests for assistance."
The embassy reminded its citizens that "even protests that are intended to be peaceful can turn into confrontation, and may escalate into acts of violence, as is always the case," according to its expression.
This warning comes at a time when protests continue in a number of Jordanian cities in conjunction with the ongoing strike carried out by truck drivers and workers in the transport and freight sectors in protest against the continuous increase in fuel prices, and shops closed their doors for the second day in a row in the governorates of Ma'an and Karak.
Neighborhoods in the capital, Amman, witnessed stands in solidarity with the strikers, despite the relative return of freight traffic in the country.