[1/3] Jordan's king Abdullah II meets with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in Amman, Jordan March 5, 2023. Jordanian Royal Palace/Handout via Reuters REUTERSAMMAN, March 5 (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday a surge in West Bank violence threatened regional stability and asked for assistance to fight a growing drug war along its borders with Syria blamed on Iranian-backed militias, Jordanian officials said. He wrote on Twitter before his departure that he would meet key leaders and "reaffirm the U.S. commitment to regional stability and advancing the shared interests of our allies and partners." The U.S. Defense Department said ahead of the visit that discussions would focus on the growing threat Iran poses to regional stability, and on advancing multilateral security cooperation with integrated air and missile defenses. Amman wants more U.S. military aid to bolster security on the border, where Washington has since the more than decade-long conflict began given around $1 billion to establish border posts, Jordanian officials say.

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