Army spokesman Brigadier General Talal al Ghobain said investigations now indicated the intense heat caused the “thermal expansion of mortar shells” in the arms depot on the eastern outskirts of the sprawling city of 1.5 million people. The blast site lies within a high security zone where some of the country’s major U.S.-equipped army bases are located, military sources say. Government spokesman Amjad Adailah said earlier that mortars stored at the facility were old and not usable. An army source said on condition of anonymity that some of the weapons at the site were precision-guided anti-aircraft missiles; an army spokesman said no such missiles were stored there. US officials say that military aid to Jordan helps to build the kingdom’s defensive capabilities as part of a wider regional strategy.

Source: bd News24 September 11, 2020 14:03 UTC