April 21, 2015
Amman, Jordan
The seventh annual Warrior Competition held at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) on the outskirts of Jordan’s capital, Amman. Elite counter-terror teams from around the world compete for five days from April 19th to the 23rd, in a show of sportsmanship in events with such names as “Top Gun,” and “3-Gun Gauntlet.” Soldiers run obstacle courses, scale walls, crawl beneath fences, then dash uphill to fire at moving targets in the distance.
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The reverberation from the desert canyon walls make it difficult to tell where the sound is coming from - but then, there is the harsh crack from the sniper’s rifle, soldiers sprint through city streets to storm a building, and a human-sized form is hauled out and loaded onto a truck. On a day like today, it’s normal to hear lieutenants shouting to their men in Arabic, Russian, English and Pashto. This isn’t a real war, but the scenes being played out could mimic a not-so-distant urban battlefield.
This is a staged scenario in a mock cityscape, part of the seventh annual Warrior Competition held at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) on the outskirts of Jordan’s capital, Amman.
The Jordanian team rests in the shade of a sandstone cliff before the "urban assault" event at the Warrior Competition on April 21, 2015. In this event, soldiers must rush over a dirt verge, storm a building in a mock city, rescue a hostage and fire at targets in the distance.
The Colombia team participates in the desert stress shoot event in the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan, on April 21, 2015.
The Jordan team participates in the Airbus seizure event, demonstrating how to execute a target onboard a passenger aircraft. The exercise was part of the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan, on April 21, 2015.
Commander Malik Al-Abbadi, leader of the Jordanian team, is photographed during the desert stress shoot at the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan, on April 21, 2015.
Brigadier General Aref Al-Zaben, the General Director for the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center, is photographed during the seventh annual Warrior Competition on April 21, 2015.
The Lebanese Armed Forces gather their gear before heading to the next event in the Warrior Competition on April 20, 2015. The competition is held at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan.
The all-women's Unit 30 SWAT Police team from Jordan competes in the three-gun gauntlet during the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan, on April 20, 2015.
The all-women's Unit 30 SWAT Police team from Jordan competes in the three-gun gauntlet during the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan, on April 20, 2015.
The Jordan team participates in the hostage rescue exercise at the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan, on April 20, 2015.
Soldiers wait for instructions atop a tower during the "Urban Assault" event on April 20, 2015, during the seventh annual Warrior Competition near Amman, Jordan. The center, which spans 25 acres of a blasted-out desert canyon, is a state-of-the-art training facility complete with mock cityscapes, villages, and grounded aircraft. The exercises are all performed with live ammunition.
A member of the Jordanian team participates in the "3-Gun Gauntlet" event in the Warrior Competition on April 20, 2015 at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan. After running through a narrow concrete "gauntlet" soldiers must shoot targets with three different weapons, while being judged for speed and accuracy.
A parachuter from Jordan 71st counter-terrorism battalion prepares to land during the opening ceremonies of the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan on April 19, 2015.
The Jordanian team prepares for the first event of the Warrior Competition, "Top Gun," in which soldiers must shoot at targets at varying distances with three different weapons, while being judged for speed and accuracy. Jordan and the U.S. were finalists, with Jordan ultimately coming in first place.
Members of the American and Canadian teams cheer together and watch the remaining teams compete in the "Top Gun" event at the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan on April 19, 2015. Jordan and the United States were finalists in the event, with Jordan ultimately coming in first place.
The Palestinian team is photographed during the opening ceremonies of the seventh annual Warrior Competition on April 19, 2015 at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan.
Teams from various countries relax together and cheer on their teammates during the first event of the Warrior Competition, "Top Gun." Elite counter-terrorism teams from around the world compete for the title of champion at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan.
Members of the American and Canadian teams cheer together and watch the remaining teams compete in the "Top Gun" event at the seventh annual Warrior Competition at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center near Amman, Jordan on April 19, 2015. Jordan and the United States were finalists in the event, with Jordan ultimately coming in first place.