AMMAN — Interior Minister Salameh Hammad said on Monday that the security operation in the southern governorate of Karak on Sunday, which ended in the death of four terrorists, was “a complete success”.

He denied there had been any delay in response or failure in dealing with the incident.

Ten people, including seven police officers, two civilians and a Canadian tourist, were killed by the four suspects who started their killing spree in Qatraneh and ended it in Karak Castle.

“Our security forces dealt with the situation in the utmost professional and heroic way, saving many lives,” Hammad told a press conference at the Prime Ministry.

Thirty-four civilians and police officers were injured during the terror attack that started around 2:30pm in Qatraneh town, around 40km to the north of Karak, and ended around midnight in the castle.

“We took our time to study the castle carefully and prepared a special plan to raid the premises in a manner that would not result in casualties or harm the tourists who were trapped inside,” the minister explained.

The incident began when a citizen called the police to report a smell of gunpowder coming from a house in Qatraneh, Hammad said.

“A police unit was dispatched to the house and the minute they arrived an explosion occurred, followed by individuals shooting at two officers, killing one and injuring the other,” according to Hammad.

The suspects then took the house owner’s pickup truck at gunpoint and drove off, the minister said, adding that “on the way, they switched vehicles and continued to Karak in an 18-minute ride”.

“The men attacked a police station situated next to the castle and killed three officers who were taken by surprise, then went to the roof of the castle and started shooting at anyone who was moving,” the minister explained.

The minister added that the rescue operation was difficult because the castle has many subterranean chambers and corridors, and it was dark, “but eventually, our forces used tear gas to smoke them out of their hiding spots and our snipers took them down as they ran out”.

“It was a tricky situation and we made no contact with the tourists there or announced that there were tourists in the area, so that the armed terrorists would not know of their presence,” Hammad added.

Many of the tourists had prior knowledge of the castle’s topography and “hid in the subterranean chambers [or corridors] until they were rescued,” Hammad added.

The minister said the tourists included a Canadian woman who was killed, and her son who was injured, along with a Malaysian national and two British citizens.

Asked by reporters if Karak was the only intended target, Hammad said that based “on my own assumption from the amount of seized automatic weapons, hand grenades and explosive belts found in the [Qatraneh] house, Karak was not the only target”.

Hammad denied prior knowledge of the incident, when asked by a reporter whether the General Intelligence Department (GID) allegedly alerted police 24 hours before the incident.

“The GID had no prior knowledge of the operation and did not alert anyone about the terror attack by this cell,” Hammad said.

He also said that “no weapons, ammunition or explosives were stashed in the castle prior to the incident”.

The minister would not elaborate on the identity of the suspects, their nationality or affiliation.

“It is an ongoing investigation and we cannot reveal details at this time because of the sensitivity of the case,” Hammad explained.

Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani, speaking at the press conference, said that Jordan’s stance on terrorism is clear “and we will not tolerate it”.

“We will always fight terrorism and we are proud of and confident in our security forces in their fight against terrorism,” Momani, who is also minister of state for media affairs, told reporters.

He also praised citizens’ role in fighting terrorism, including the citizen who alerted the authorities on Sunday when he smelled gunpowder in Qatraneh, which “helped expose the terrorist cell”.

“There are many details and heroic acts regarding the Karak incident that we will reveal at the right time. For the time being, we are investigating the incident and following up on leads and intelligence information,” Momani said.</s>At least four policemen and one suspect have been killed in clashes on the outskirts of Karak city in southern Jordan after security officers stormed an apartment, according to security sources.

Two more suspects were arrested after Tuesday's gun battle in Wesya village, which came shortly after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility for Sunday's attacks at a popular tourist destination in Karak.

The sources told Al Jazeera that the suspects were on a list of wanted men and did have any apparent links to the assailants involved in the Karak citadel assault.

A video uploaded on social media purported to show Tuesday's exchange of fire in Wesya.

The shooting erupted just hours after ISIL, also known as ISIS, said "four soldiers of the caliphate" armed with machineguns and hand grenades carried out Sunday's attack at the Crusader-era castle, which left 10 people dead.

"We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ...," it said, referring to the anti-ISIL coalition member states.

ISIL confirmed that the attackers were killed by police during the course of a siege that lasted several hours.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers, calling them "terrorist outlaws".

Security sources said the attackers were all Jordanian nationals.

Seven security officers, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Salamah Hammad, the country's interior minister, said on Monday at least five suicide belts were found, together with an ammunition cache, automatic weapons and explosives in a hideout in a house in the desert town of Qatranah, 30km northeast of Karak.

The attackers had sought refuge in the castle after opening fire on police patrols and a police station, Hammad said.

Jordan plays a key role in the US-led military campaign against ISIL, which seized large areas in neighbouring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a "caliphate" there.

Many Jordanians oppose their country's involvement, saying it has led to the killing of fellow Muslims and raised security threats inside Jordan.</s>The extremist Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a series of shooting attacks in Jordan that killed nine Jordanians and a Canadian tourist.

The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant Internet traffic, forwarded the Arabic-language claim to reporters on Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately clear where the claim was released.

Sunday’s shootings took place in the central Jordanian town of Karak.

Linda Vatcher, a 62-year-old from Newfoundland, was killed in the attack. She had recently travelled to the Middle East to spend Christmas with her son, Chris, who was reportedly working as a teacher in the region.

Hours after the initial attack, four gunmen were shot and killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and tourist destination.

The Islamic State claim said that “four soldiers of the Caliphate” armed with machine-guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks.

Related: Canadian woman killed, another injured in attacks in Jordan

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Read more: Why Islamic State’s attacks in Saudi Arabia are a big deal

On Sunday evening, family in Burgeo, Nfld., confirmed that the Canadian victim is Linda Vatcher.

Barb Rhymes said her cousin, a teacher, was in Jordan visiting her son, who lives in the region, for Christmas. Ms.Vatcher’s son was also injured in the attack, but his condition is still unknown, Ms. Rhymes said.

Their home town of Burgeo was shocked Sunday by news of Ms. Vatcher’s death, she said.

“Everybody knows everybody else, everybody is like family,” Ms. Rhymes said.

Ottawa offered condolences to the family and friends of the Canadians and to all those affected. Global Affairs spokesman John Babcock said officials are working to gather more information and offer consular assistance. “The Government of Canada stands ready to assist Jordan in bringing the perpetrators of this heinous attack to justice,” he wrote in a statement.

The chain of events began Sunday afternoon when a police patrol received reports of an explosion in a rented home in the town of Qatraneh, a desert outpost in the Karak district about an hour’s drive south of the capital Amman known for smuggling where many tribal residents are heavily armed. The officers responding to the call came under fire from inside the house, the statement said. Two police officers were wounded and the attackers fled in a car, said a statement by Jordan’s Public Security Directorate.

The gunmen drove off toward Karak, 30 kilometres to the southwest. After shooting at security vehicles and a police station, the gunmen fled into nearby Karak Castle. Heavy gunfire could be heard in the streets as the castle was surrounded by security forces.

Over the next hours, security forces cleared the castle of tourists and stalked the gunmen through the structure, a Crusader fortification built in the 12 century.

Jordan has long been an island of relative stability in a regional storm. As war and violent extremism have convulsed Syria and Iraq, Jordan has sealed its borders and tried to keep external threats out, but the kingdom has its own internal challenges. A floundering economy, an unemployment rate of around 20 per cent, a failing education system and an increasingly conservative society are threats to Jordan’s stability.

After Tunisia, Jordan is the largest provider of jihadists to the wars in Syria and Iraq. Inside the country, terror networks operate under the radar. Researcher Hassan Abu Hanieh said he believes there are up to 10,000 Salafi jihadists in Jordan, the “vast majority” of whom are loyal to Islamic State.

Over the past year, gunmen have carried out several attacks on members of the Jordanian security forces and foreign trainers. Earlier this year, Jordanian security forces engaged in a deadly shootout with suspected IS sympathizers in a northern Jordanian town.

In the most recent incident, three U.S. military members were killed in a shooting outside an air base in southern Jordan in November. The three were in Jordan on a training mission, and came under fire while driving into the base. Attacks on civilians have remained rare.

The castle is one of the largest Crusader castles in the Levant and a popular tourist destination after Petra, Wadi Rum desert and the Roman ruins of Jerash. The castle sees about 20,000 tourists each year.

Jordan’s tourism industry, once one of the economic engines of this resource-poor country, has taken a heavy, sustained hit from regional insecurity. The ancient stone city of Petra, the country’s most popular attraction, saw a 32-per-cent drop in visitors in the first eight months of 2015 alone.

In recent months, the tourism industry has been working to persuade travellers that Jordan is a safe destination.

With reports from Globe staff, The Associated Press and Reuters</s>Jordanian security forces clashed with unidentified gunmen after a raid on a house in a village on the outskirts of the southern city of Karak where suspected militants were believed to be hiding, security sources said.

Jordan has launched a manhunt in search of suspects who may have had links to four militants who attacked police in the city of Karak in a shootout in which at least nine people were killed. The militant group Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the operation, in which the four assailants were later killed.</s>AMMAN, Jordan — The extremist Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a series of shooting attacks on police and tourists in Jordan that killed 10 people, including a woman from Canada.

Sunday’s shootings were the bloodiest in Jordan in recent memory and raised new concerns about the rise of Islamic militancy in the pro-Western kingdom.

Jordan plays a key role in the U.S.-led military campaign against the Islamic State group, which seized large areas in neighbouring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a “caliphate” there.

The shootings took place in the central Jordanian town of Karak.

Linda Vatcher, a 62-year-old from Newfoundland, was among those killed in the attack. She had recently travelled to the Middle East to spend Christmas with her son, Chris, who was reportedly working as a teacher in the region.

The mother and son were visiting a Crusader castle popular with tourists in Karak when gunmen assaulted Jordanian police in a series of attacks. Christopher Vatcher was said to have jaw injuries, and was being treated at a hospital in the Jordanian capital of Amman.

Four gunmen were shot and killed by Jordanian security forces during the standoff at Karak Castle.

The Islamic State group’s claim of responsibility for the attack was published Tuesday on “Shumoukh al-Islam,” a password-protected website affiliated with the extremist group.

The statement said that “four soldiers of the caliphate” armed with machine-guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks, killing 10 “apostates.” It said the four fighters were engaged in “fierce clashes lasting several hours” with Jordanian forces before being killed.

The statement threatened more attacks in anti-Islamic State coalition member states. “We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ...,” it said.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers.

Seven members of the Jordanian security forces, two local bystanders and Vatcher were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Jordan has been facing homegrown extremism; hundreds of Jordanians are fighting alongside other Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more are believed to support the extremist group in the kingdom.

Sunday’s shootings were the latest in a series of attacks over the past year that have challenged the pro-Western kingdom’s claim to be an oasis of stability in a region increasingly threatened by Islamic extremists.

Earlier this year, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly cross-border attack from Syria on a Jordanian border post.</s>By JT - Dec 20,2016 - Last updated at Dec 20,2016

AMMAN — A joint security taskforce is currently dealing with several wanted suspects hiding in a house in Karak governorate, the Jordan News Agency, Petra , reported Tuesday.

The wanted suspects fired shots at the taskforce that surrounded the place to arrest them.

A policeman and three gendarmes were killed in the fire exchange, Petra reported, quoting a security source, adding that the suspects are not related to Sunday's terrorist attack in the governorate.

The source warned against circulating names or any other details connected to the ongoing operation.

On Sunday, a terrorist attack targeted police patrols in Karak and resulted in 10 deaths among civilians and security personnel, in addition to at least 34 injuries.</s>Jordanian security forces and their armored vehicles stand guard in front of Karak Castle in the central town of Karak, about 87 miles south of Jordan's capital, Amman, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2016.

AMMAN, Jordan — The Islamic State group claimed responsibility Tuesday for a series of shooting attacks on police and tourists in Jordan that killed 10 people, including a woman from Canada.

Sunday's shootings were the bloodiest in Jordan in recent memory and raised new concerns about the rise of Islamic militancy in the pro-Western kingdom.

Jordan plays a key role in the U.S.-led military campaign against IS, which seized large areas in neighboring Iraq and Syria in 2014 and proclaimed a "caliphate" there.

The shootings took place in the central Jordanian town of Karak. Hours after an initial attack on a police patrol, four gunmen were shot and killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and popular tourist destination.

The IS claim was published Tuesday on "Shumoukh al-Islam," a password-protected website affiliated with the extremist group.

The statement said that "four soldiers of the caliphate" armed with machine guns and hand grenades carried out the attacks, killing 10 "apostates." It said the four IS fighters were engaged in "fierce clashes lasting several hours" with Jordanian forces before being killed.

The statement threatened more attacks in anti-IS coalition member states. "We promise the Crusader coalition countries something worse and more severe, Allah permitting ...," it said.

Jordanian officials have refused to identify the attackers.

Seven members of the Jordanian security forces, two local bystanders and the Canadian tourist were killed in the attacks which also left 34 people wounded.

Jordan has been facing homegrown extremism; hundreds of Jordanians are fighting alongside other IS militants in Iraq and Syria and several thousand more are believed to support the extremist group in the kingdom.

Sunday's shootings were the latest in a series of attacks over the past year that have challenged the pro-Western kingdom's claim to be an oasis of stability in a region increasingly threatened by Islamic extremists.

Earlier this year, IS claimed responsibility for a deadly cross-border attack from Syria on a Jordanian border post.</s>GREFILLAH, Jordan — A witness says that in the latest deadly attack in Jordan, security forces walked into an ambush at a militants' hideout.

Tuesday's attack, which killed four policemen, was the most recent in a series of deadly gunbattles in central Karak province that have shaken the pro-Western kingdom.

Witness Rami al-Maaytah said on Wednesday that the man who led the police to a suspected hideout the previous day ran into the house and opened fire on the officers from the roof.

In all, 14 people were killed this week, including 11 members of the security forces, two civilians and a Canadian tourist. Five gunmen also died.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for attacks on Sunday that spurred searches for more suspects, including in the village of Grefillah in Karak.</s>The statement from the terrorist group's media arm, Amaq, said four men carried out the attack.

"Armed with machine guns and hand grenades, they raided the gatherings of the apostate Jordanian security and the citizens of the crusade alliance in Karak," read the statement.

This is the first time ISIS has claimed an attack on Jordanian soil. The only other attack ISIS claimed was a June suicide attack at a military outpost at the border with Syria.

Jordanian security forces engaged in another gunfight in Karak on Tuesday, but the country's Public Security Directorate said it was unrelated to Sunday's attack.

The security forces surrounded a house where an unspecified number of wanted men were located, according to Petra, Jordan's official news agency. Sunday's attack in Karak was the first time a civilian target was hit by a terrorist attack in Jordan in more than a decade. After firing at police officers at two locations, gunmen moved into an ancient castle popular with tourists in the city of Karak, Jordan's PSD said. Security forces surrounded the castle and an hours-long standoff ensued. The PSD issued a statement around 11:30 p.m. (4:30 p.m. ET) Sunday saying the siege had ended with four terrorists killed inside the castle. Seven members of the security forces, two Jordanian civilians and a Canadian tourist were killed, the PSD said. Thirty-four people were wounded, including 15 members of the security forces, 17 Jordanian civilians and two foreign tourists. "Jordan is strong and is capable of eliminating terrorism," King Abdullah of Jordan told the National Policies Council on Monday, Petra reported. The King also visited some of the injured from Sunday's attack. Jordanian Interior Minister Salama Hammad said in a news conference Monday the gunmen had more attacks planned. "In the light of the number of explosives and weapons found, the target wasn't just Karak," the interior minister said, according to local media. It all started with a report to the police from the gunmen's neighbor, who said he smelled gunpowder, Hammad said. As police investigated, a shootout began, killing one police officer as the gunmen fled from the nearby town of Qatranah to Karak, ending at the castle.</s>AMMAN, Jordan — The extremist Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a series of shooting attacks in Jordan that killed nine Jordanians and a Canadian tourist.

The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant Internet traffic, forwarded the Arabic-language claim to reporters on Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear where the claim was released.

Sunday's shootings took place in the central Jordanian town of Karak.

Linda Vatcher, a 62-year-old from Newfoundland, was killed in the attack. She had recently travelled to the Middle East to spend Christmas with her son, Chris, who was reportedly working as a teacher in the region.

Hours after the initial attack, four gunmen were shot and killed by Jordanian security forces during a standoff at Karak Castle, a Crusader fortress and tourist destination.

The Islamic State claim said that "four soldiers of the Caliphate" armed with and hand grenades carried out the attacks.

The group set up a self-declared "caliphate" in parts of Syria and Iraq after seizing the territory in 2014.
Four police officers and one suspect have been killed following a raid on an apartment near Al-Karak in Jordan. Two more suspects have been arrested under suspicions of connections with Sunday's attack in the city by the Islamic State.