Ajlun offensive

On 12 July 1971, the Jordanian government ordered the trapped Palestinian fedayeen to evacuate Tal al-Aqra, the strategic mountain at the heart of the Ajlun stronghold.^[3][1] The local PLO field command, including Abu Ali Iyad, rejected the demand.^[1][10] Journalist and researcher Patrick Seale argued that the decision to resist at Ajlun was a "suicide mission", as the fedayeen had no capabilities to resist the Jordanian armored forces on open terrain.^[10]

On the morning of 13 July, the Jordanian Armed Forces initiated a large-scale offensive against the 2,500 militants of the Ajlun stronghold with intensive artillery bombardment, reinforced by aerial attacks.^[3][1] The Jordanians then began to advance on fedayeen positions from three sides, using an infantry division, a tank brigade, two commando battalions and 10,000 militiamen of the "Popular Army".^[1] In addition, three more Jordanian battalions attacked the about 500 PLO fighters still based in the Jordan Valley.^[1] The fighting was brutal and PLO militants reported that Jordanian tanks drove over wounded fedayeen.^[10]

By 14 July, the Jordanians held most of the battlefield.^[1] On the morning of 16 July, the Jordanian military announced that it had taken control of the whole area after the killing of about 200-250 fedayeen fighters,^[3][1] suffering about 150-200 losses.^[1] About 500 fedayeen managed to withdraw from the area and reach neighbouring Syria.^[1][3] The Jordanians captured about 2,300 fedayeen.^[9] About 100-200 PLO militants preferred to cross the Jordan River to surrender to Israeli forces rather than to the Jordanians.^[1][8] As his forces were overrun, Abu Ali Iyad sent a man with a letter out of the Ajlun pocket to the PLO leadership; in the message, he bitterly condemned his superiors for abandoning the fight and declared that "we will die on our feet rather than kneel".^[10]

Mopping-up operations continued for two days, as the Jordanians hunted for PLO stragglers. Meanwhile, the militants executed a number of Jordanian officers who had defected to them in September 1970.^[1] On 23 July, Abu Ali Iyad was reportedly killed around Ajlun. His corpse was never found.^[11]

Following the destruction of the Ajlun holdout, King Hussein declared in a press conference that Jordanian sovereignty had been restored.^[8] The remnants of Abu Ali Iyad's force continued to hold him in high regard and vowed to avenge him; one of them murdered Wasfi Tal in November 1971.^[11]

International allies of the PLO barely reacted to the operation.^[1] However, China condemned the offensive and sent a shipment of tanks and other weapons to strengthen the PLO forces in Lebanon and Syria.^[12]