Jordan Probes Violent Clashes at Demo

Jordan said on Sunday it was probing clashes between opposition Islamist demonstrators and government loyalists in a northern city, where dozens, including police, were wounded.

"The government is investigating the clashes that erupted Friday in Mafraq, where citizens and policemen have been attacked," government spokesman Rakan Majali said in published remarks.

"Offices of the Islamic Action Front (IAF) have been torched. What happened is unacceptable and intolerable. Those responsible behind the violence will be brought to justice," he told the government-owned Al-Rai Arabic daily.

Police fired tear gas after around 300 Islamists clashed with thousands of members of the Bani Hassan, one of Jordan's largest tribes.

Witnesses said several shops were destroyed during the clashes, which forced demonstrators to seek refuge in a mosque.

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood and its political arm the IAF urged the government on Saturday to arrest the attackers.

Islamists, youth groups and other parties have been protesting since January, demanding political and economic change and an end to corruption.