Some 5,000 US troops are in Jordan this week to participate in the multi-national exercise dubbed Eager Lion [9]. The US forces include an Army unit with a Patriot missile battery, and the Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group 5. Other participating nations include the UK, France, Canada, Turkey, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Although the Pentagon insists the maneuvers have nothing to do with the conflict in neighboring Syria, it comes as Iran is reportedly sending 4,000 Revolutionary Guards to support President Bashar Assad in the fight against opposition forces. (Al-Arabiya [10], PKKH [11], June 16; Stars & Stripes [12], June 12; US Army [13] press release, June 11)
