Freihat, Canadian officials break ground on military road project along border

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat and representatives from the UN and Canada on Monday broke ground on a military road project along the Jordanian-Syrian border.

The year-long project aims to rehabilitate the road and was launched in response to a request from the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), according to a statement sent from the Canadian embassy in Amman.

Canada’s Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan said in the statement: “This project is part of an integrated, whole-of-government approach to contribute to the improvement of security in the region. Canada enjoys a strong relationship with Jordan, built on mutual defence and security priorities.”

The funding for the road project was part of a $2.1-billion capacity-building effort for the Middle East and distributed in part by Operation IMPACT — the Canadian Armed Forces military contribution to the Global Coalition Against Daesh, the statement said.

Commander of the Canadian Joint Operations Command Lt. Gen. Michael Rouleau said during the ground breaking ceremony that “this important road rehabilitation project is a tangible example of the close relationship between Jordan and Canada. It will help keep the people of Jordan safe by allowing the Jordanian armed forces to deter, monitor and interdict incursions along the northern border with Syria, which will help to enhance security in Jordan and in the region.”

Canadian Ambassador to Jordan Peter MacDougall also attended the ceremony, which was held at a critical junction along the road project, according to the statement.