Expert Analysis

Mother of Jordanian who murdered 3 Green Berets claims gov gave him a medal for the killings

In a video interview, the mother of Abu Tayeh claims that the Jordanian government gave him a promotion and a medal after he murdered three US Special Forces soldiers at King Faisal Air Base.  The Green Berets were stopped at the gate checkpoint outside the base where Abu Tayeh was in charge of running the guard rotation.  While his place of duty was with the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) elsewhere on the base, he was at the gate when the American soldiers arrived, supposedly to charge his radio battery.  Video footage of the killings released by the Jordanian government (after Tayeh’s trail, in which the footage was not shown) makes it clear that the murders were deliberate.  The Americans take cover, raise their hands, and shout in Arabic that they are Americans.  Abu Tayeh shoots, flanks around from the side, and guns down the soldiers down in cold blood.

In the below video interview, the mother of the shooter insists that her son is innocent and asks why the Jordanian government would give him a promotion and a medal after the killings if he was guilty of the crime.  The Jordanian government initially floated out several different cover stories to make it appear as if the American soldiers were to blame for their own deaths and that Abu Tayeh was just doing his job or had an accident.  One by one, those cover stories were exposed as lies.  However, Tayeh’s true motivations remain unclear.  According to one source, the FBI has analyzed Tayeh’s electronic devices and have not found a motive or any evidence of radicalization.

The Jordanian government has good cause to try to cover up the incident, as does the CIA.  The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is not nearly as stable as the government would have people believe.  Cities like Maan, where Abu Tayeh is from have a historical of radicalization and producing Jihadi foreign fighters, including the likes of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. With ISIS on its heels in Syria, there is some speculation that the terrorist group will next try to overthrow the Jordanian government.

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In a video interview, the mother of Abu Tayeh claims that the Jordanian government gave him a promotion and a medal after he murdered three US Special Forces soldiers at King Faisal Air Base.  The Green Berets were stopped at the gate checkpoint outside the base where Abu Tayeh was in charge of running the guard rotation.  While his place of duty was with the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) elsewhere on the base, he was at the gate when the American soldiers arrived, supposedly to charge his radio battery.  Video footage of the killings released by the Jordanian government (after Tayeh’s trail, in which the footage was not shown) makes it clear that the murders were deliberate.  The Americans take cover, raise their hands, and shout in Arabic that they are Americans.  Abu Tayeh shoots, flanks around from the side, and guns down the soldiers down in cold blood.

In the below video interview, the mother of the shooter insists that her son is innocent and asks why the Jordanian government would give him a promotion and a medal after the killings if he was guilty of the crime.  The Jordanian government initially floated out several different cover stories to make it appear as if the American soldiers were to blame for their own deaths and that Abu Tayeh was just doing his job or had an accident.  One by one, those cover stories were exposed as lies.  However, Tayeh’s true motivations remain unclear.  According to one source, the FBI has analyzed Tayeh’s electronic devices and have not found a motive or any evidence of radicalization.

The Jordanian government has good cause to try to cover up the incident, as does the CIA.  The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is not nearly as stable as the government would have people believe.  Cities like Maan, where Abu Tayeh is from have a historical of radicalization and producing Jihadi foreign fighters, including the likes of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. With ISIS on its heels in Syria, there is some speculation that the terrorist group will next try to overthrow the Jordanian government.

As for the CIA, we quote a previous SOFREP article:

SOFREP’s own investigation into the killings revealed that the three Green Berets were assigned to the inter-agency (IA) mission, meaning that they were on loan to the CIA in order to provide training to Syrian rebels at a facility in Jordan.  During the course of that investigation, it was also uncovered that the CIA’s vetting of Syrian rebel forces is lackadaisical at best and further, that the CIA ignored the concerns and warnings coming from 5th Special Forces Group.”

After his conviction in the Jordanian courts, Abu Tayeh stated that he was just doing his job, causing some to wonder if the executions had not been ordered by some other party.  His mother’s claim that he was promoted and given a medal after the murders is a chilling statement.

The Jordanian government released the CCTV footage of the murders in order to slow down or halt support for Abu Tayeh from his tribe.  The video is extremely problematic for those who would contest his conviction as it clearly shows what really happened.  Previous to that, even the mainstream media in the United States essentially white washed what really happened that day.

Featured image courtesy of YouTube

About Jack Murphy View All Posts

Jack served as a Sniper and Team Leader in 3rd Ranger Battalion and as a Senior Weapons Sergeant on a Military Free Fall team in 5th Special Forces Group. Having left the military in 2010, he graduated from Columbia with a BA in political science. Murphy is the author of Reflexive Fire, Target Deck, Direct Action, and Gray Matter Splatter. His memoir, "Murphy's Law" is due for a 2019 release and can be pre-ordered now.

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