Militants responsible for Jordan attack 'share IS ideology'

Militants behind the attack on Jordan's police forces on last week, support the extremist Islamic State group, the country's interior minister said on Monday, adding that investigations had revealed plans for more attacks on security and civilian targets in the kingdom.

A homemade explosive device planted near a police van killed one sergeant and injured six officers on Friday.  

Speaking to a news conference, Interior Minister Sameer al-Mobaideen said that while the militants did not belong to the extremist group, they subscribed to the same ideology.

"The investigations are secret and ongoing," he added.

Jordan's King Abdullah similarly announced that the Hashemite Kingdom will fight the "khawarij" with resolve, a term used to describe those acting outside the fold of Islam.

Speaking at a National Policies Council meeting, King Abdullah added that all those who dare to target Jordan's security and risk the safety of its citizens will be held to account.

Jordanian security forces killed three gunmen and arrested five others during a raid on Sunday in the town of Salt, northwest of Amman, after suffering two attacks.

Gunmen killed three members of Jordan's security forces in a shootout on Saturday during a raid on a "terrorist" cell a day after an officer died in a rare bomb blast in al-Fuheis.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday's bomb blast, which killed one officer and wounded six other members of the patrol in the mostly Christian town west of Amman.

The unit hit was tasked with guarding a cultural festival held in the western outskirt of the capital, Jordan's second largest festival after Jerash.

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