Jordanian police said on Monday that three officers and a suspect died in a shootout in the southern city of Maan during an arrest raid into the case of the slaying of a police commander.

Police said that eight other suspects in the killing of a senior policeman last week were arrested and investigations into the incident were ongoing.

The arrests followed some of the worst unrest the Middle Eastern kingdom had seen in years after truck drivers went on strike over rising fuel prices.

Strikes and protests spread to several cities across Jordan, and protesters clashed with police on Thursday.

Riots in Maan

Abdul Razzaq Abdel Hafez Al Dalabeh, a local deputy police director, was killed in Maan on Thursday night by gunshots fired as rioters clashed with security forces who had entered Maan to quell the unrest, authorities said.

Police said over 40 security personnel were injured in the clashes, which saw protesters smash cars, burn tires and set up roadblocks to close a highway in some of the most widespread unrest in recent years.

The authorities said they arrested 44 people and are looking for more than 200 suspects in connection with the riots.

In the aftermath, Jordan issued a "temporary ban" on the social media platform TikTok, and King Abdullah II pledged to "deal firmly" with outlaws.

A close ally of the West, Jordan has long been seen as an island of stability in a turbulent region.

dh/fb (AP, Reuters)