Three Jordanian intelligence officers and two other employees of the service were killed on Monday in a Palestinian refugee camp near the capital, Amman, in what the government said was a terrorist attack.

The government has opened an investigation into the assault, which took place around 7 a.m. at an intelligence office in the Baqaa refugee camp, which was set up after the Arab-Israeli war of 1967 and is the largest in the country.

The attack, on the first day of the holy month of fasting known as Ramadan, struck in a country that has remained relatively stable despite being surrounded by conflicts.

“By attacking this office today, the terrorists want to send a message that they can attack at the heart of security in Jordan,” said Hassan Abu Hanieh, a Jordanian expert on Islamist groups.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. A government spokesman, Mohammad Momani, described the assailants as people who, “strayed away from religion and spilled the blood of those who dedicated themselves to protect the country.”

Jordan is an important ally in the region for the United States, which has provided the country with more than $15 billion in economic and military aid since the 1950s.

Read More- New York Times

Image courtesy of Reuters