More than 20 fighters from the Islamic State were killed in Syria by Jordanian forces in response to an attack on a Christian church in Jordan, according to Jordanian authorities.
© Reuters
27/10/2026
by
Lusa
Mais of 20 fighters from the Islamic State (EI) were killed in Syria by Jordanian forces on Monday in response to an attack on a Christian church in Jordan, today the Jordanian authorities declared.
The attacks carried out by the Jordanian forces “were targeted by the extremist group” and the “first results [...] indicate heavy casualties in the ranks of the IS – estimated in more than 20 fighters – and the destruction of an important weapons deposit of the organization,” said the Minister of Telecommunications and spokesperson of the Government, Mohammad Al-Momni.
According to Damascus, five people, including three children, were killed in a bombardment in the isolated village of al-Taf in the southern province of Deraa — bordering Jordan — and two others died in attacks against two different localities.
The Syrian authorities lamented the raids, which, according to them, occurred “without any coordination” with Damascus and resulted in “victims, including civilians and children”.
Momni assured, however, that Jordan has “deep respect” for Syria and its “brother people”, and declared “sad” that the operation caused civilian casualties.
“ In the past, Jordan abstained from attacking places where information services indicated the presence of civilians,” he said.
However, according to the Jordanian minister, his country “has lost patience in the face of the actions of terrorist groups and their attacks on national security”.
“ The operations were conducted on the basis of information obtained on the ground, aiming to neutralize confirmed threats and plans for attacks against Jordan,” he added.
The Jordanian authorities announced on Monday the arrest of the three attackers — all Jordanians — who killed nine people in a Greek Orthodox church, where the faithful were gathered for a funeral.
Jordan reported that the perpetrators of the attack, radical Islamists, had ties to terrorist groups in southern Syria.
The IS controlled vast areas of Syrian territory before being defeated in 2019. However, the group continues to sporadically claim attacks on government forces — especially in the vast Syrian desert as well as in the north and northeast of the country — and in the past was also present in the province of Deraa.