3 U.S. military trainers killed at a Jordanian air base

Reporting from Washington —  Three American military trainers were killed Friday in a shooting outside a Jordanian military base that could complicate relations with a country that has been a close ally to the United States in a turbulent region.

The Americans came under fire as their vehicles were entering the Prince Faisal air base, U.S. and Jordanian officials said. But it was not immediately clear whether the incident was the result of a deliberate attack or a misunderstanding.

Jordanian media initially reported that the U.S. service members were shot when their vehicle failed to stop at the facility’s gate in the Jafr area, south of Amman, the capital. But a later report by the state news agency Petra made no mention of the vehicle failing to stop and said only that there was an exchange of fire that also injured a Jordanian officer.

One of the Americans died at the scene, and two others were taken to King Hussein Hospital in Amman, where they died of their injuries, said a U.S. defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the three service members were in Jordan on a training mission.

“We are working closely with the government of Jordan to determine exactly what happened,” he said.

Col. Ali Kharafshi, chief of police for the Maan governorate, where Jafr is located, said there was no indication that this was a terrorist incident but declined to provide further details. Jordanian military officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jordan has been one of Washington’s most dependable allies in the Middle East and is a member of the coalition battling Islamic State in neighboring Syria. The U.S. has spent millions of dollars to help the kingdom fortify its borders and also ran a program with regional allies to train Syrian rebels on Jordanian territory.

But the country is home to many religious conservatives who are bitterly opposed to U.S. military intervention in the region, as well as Washington’s staunch support for Israel.

Hundreds of Jordanians are believed to have joined the ranks of Islamic State and Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria in recent years. Abu Musab Zarqawi, the slain militant who led Islamic State’s predecessor, Al Qaeda in Iraq, also hailed from the kingdom.

Last November, a Jordanian police captain opened fire at a training facility in Amman, killing two Americans, a South African and two fellow Jordanians. The Jordanian government later described the assailant as a troubled man without ties to extremist groups, but there were reports that he supported Islamic State.

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Zavis reported from Los Angeles and Hennigan from Washington. Special correspondent Omar Medhat in Cairo contributed to this report.

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UPDATES:

2:20 p.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting.

9:35 a.m.: This article was updated with news about a third death.

7:35 a.m.: This article was updated with more details about the shootout and background information.

This article was originally published at 6:45 a.m.