Defence department identifies US army trainers killed at Jordan base

The defence department on Sunday identified three US army trainers who were killed on Friday when their convoy came under fire as it entered a military base in Jordan.

The Pentagon said the three were members of an army special forces group based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

In a statement, it identified the dead soldiers as staff sergeants Matthew C Lewellen, 27, of Lawrence, Kansas; Kevin J McEnroe, 30, of Tucson, Arizona; and James F Moriarty, 27, of Kerrville, Texas.

The deadly incident was unusual given the close political and military ties between Washington and Amman, and details surrounding the it remain under investigation.

A Jordanian military source reportedly told international media the US trainers were fired on by Jordanian security forces when they failed to stop at the gate of Prince Faisal air base in the south of the country.

Other Jordanian sources, however, said they could not rule out political motives in the incident.