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US refutes claim Americans, including Kan. soldier, sparked deadly shooting

Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen -Photo U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Matthew C. Lewellen -Photo U.S. Army

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Jordan is refuting Amman’s claim that American soldiers sparked a deadly shooting at a Jordan military base this month by disobeying orders from Jordanian soldiers.

Three U.S. Army sergeants — Matthew Lewellen of Lawrence Kansas, Kevin McEnroe and James Moriarty from the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) from Fort Campbell, Kentucky — were killed in the shooting outside the base in southern Jordan.

Embassy spokesman Eric Barbee says U.S. investigators are considering all possible motives and “have not yet ruled out terrorism as a potential motive.”

After the shooting, Jordan’s state media reported that the slain American trainers had sparked a firefight by disobeying direct orders from the Jordanians.

Barbee told The Associated Press on Thursday that there’s “absolutely no credible evidence” for this claim.

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