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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - The Islamic Action Front (IAF), the political arm of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, on Thursday expressed rejection to the presence of foreign troops on Jordanian territories.

In a statement issued on Thursday, IAF, Jordan's largest opposition political party, called on the government to reconsider its decision to allow foreign troops in Jordan, stressing that the Jordanian military and people are capable of defending the nation and its higher interests.

Highlighting that the Jordanian government has repeatedly denied presence of foreign troops in Jordan or providing military training to Syrian opposition groups, the latest of which was Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour's statement last Tuesday before Parliament in which he "categorically" denied any training for Syrian groups, the statement noted that U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's statements before Congress on Wednesday of his intent to send U.S. troops to Jordan caused the Jordanian government to admit the presence of foreign troops.

"IAF, out of its keenness for national sovereignty, and its knowledge of U.S. policy's motives, wishes to express its categorical rejection to the presence of foreign troops on Jordanian land," the IAF statement said.

The statement added that "as for U.S. troops, their motive for military action stems from its special interests, and the interests of its strategic ally, the Zionist entity."

The Islamist movement concluded its statement by expressing that "foreign troops are not welcomed on Jordanian land."

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel had told Congress on Wednesday that the Pentagon is sending about 200 soldiers to Jordan to assist efforts to contain violence along the Syrian border and plan for any operations needed to ensure the safety of chemical weapons in Syria.

The Armored Division troops are reported to replace a similar number of U.S. forces that have been in Jordan for some months, including specialists in intelligence, logistics, and operations, Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, Jordanian military sources denied on Thursday that the deployment of U.S. soldiers has anything to do with the situation in Syria.

The Jordan Armed Forces said in an official statement that these troops would take part in the Operation Eager Lion military exercise held in Jordan annually.

15 countries had taken part in the exercise until now, the military source said, adding that these joint exercises with different national armies were part of the annual training plan implemented by the Jordanian armed forces and had nothing to do with the situation in Syria, he reiterated.