Jordan denies U.S. troop presence

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AMMAN, Jordan, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Jordan's armed forces denied reports the United States has deployed troops in Jordan to monitor Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons.

A Jordanian military official denied the presence of U.S. forces in his country, saying there are currently no American soldiers assisting with humanitarian aid efforts or monitoring dangers posed by Syria's chemical weapons, The Jordan Times reported Thursday.

"The [Jordanian military] is capable of confronting any future threats that may arise," the Petra news agency quoted the official as saying. Any international military personnel on Jordanian soil would be part of joint training agreements that have no relation to the developments in Syria, the official said.

The official's remarks contradict statements by U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta Wednesday following a meeting of NATO ministers in Brussels.

CNN quoted Panetta as saying there are some 150 American special operation soldiers working with Jordanian forces to monitor the chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria.

Recent reports suggest Syrian regime forces have moved some of the chemical weapons for security reasons and the rebels are focusing efforts on capturing some of the storage sites, CNN said.