Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Defense Secretary Ash Carter met in Jordan today with Gen. Mashal al-Zaben, King Abdullah II’s advisor for military affairs and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian armed forces, and Lt. Gen. Prince Faisal bin Hussein, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.

“Secretary Carter reaffirmed the closeness of the U.S.-Jordan strategic relationship, and the leaders discussed mutual concerns in the region, including the ongoing crisis in Syria,” Cook said.

Carter also expressed his deep appreciation for the Jordanian armed forces' leadership in the region and commended them for playing a leading role in the global coalition effort to deliver a lasting defeat to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, he added.