Govt troops attack in Amman

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32406, 19 September 1970, Page 1

Govt troops attack in Amman

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—-Copyright) BEIRUT, September 18. Dawn brought fresh fighting to Amman today as FieldMarshal Habes Majali flung his troops back into attack against guerrilla positions which had defied a tank thrust 24 hours ago.

The Jordanian com-’ mander-in-chief said his’ forces were continuing’ their pressure to restore 1 order to the capital; the! Jordanian Army today: invaded the northern | Jordan sector held by I the guerrillas. Field-Marshall Majali re-’

■ 'peated his last-chance offer to I ~the commandos to leave the: . capital with their weapons’ 1 under safe conduct and move! ’ down to the Jordan valley! i front against Israel. The ■ same offer was spumed last 'night by the guerrilla central committee. The Field-Marshal appealed 'to residents not to let the guerrillas use their houses as ; ■ strongpoints, saying they i

I would be the target of coun Iter-fire.

s He told the commandos: i “Come to your sense and do '’not protect your own lives at i the risk of someone else’s.” The central committee’s I Damascus-based Voice of Palestine radio reported that I Jordanian artillery opened a i heavy barrage at 4.30 a.m. against Al-Hussein and Wahdat refugee camps and also in Jebel Hussein, where the Palestine armed struggle command has its headquarters. Heavy guns also opened up at dawn against commando positions in Zerka, the garrison town 15 miles north-east of Amman which saw the fiercest fighting yesterday outside the capital. A Fatah spokesman in Beirut also reported heavy shelling in Amman and said this was a barrage laid down to enable the tanks to advance on guerrilla strongpoints. “We expect a critical day,” said the spokesman. “The fighting may go on and on for days," the radio warned the Fedayeen, who,, Western military observers ' say, are lacking in fire discip- • line and tend to blaze away entire magazines of ammunition without having a target in their sights. Jordanian air space and the ' border with Syria were still closed today. Power was still cut off in the capital, and there were no communications with the outside world.