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Three police officers have been killed and five wounded in a raid over the weekend on the suspected killer of a high-ranking police officer shot dead during protests against high fuel prices that have swept Jordan, the Emirate-based the National reported.

The suspect behind the death of deputy police director Abdul Razzaq Abdel Hafez Al Dalabeh last Thursday in the city of Maan was killed during the raid, according to state media, but no further details were given.

Truck drivers have staged strikes across the country in recent weeks to demonstrate against rising fuel prices that have significantly increased the cost of living in the Arab kingdom.

Videos of the unrest were dispersed via TikTok, prompting authorities to crack down on the demonstrations and suspend the popular app over the weekend “after its misuse” and its “inciting (of) violence and disorder,” the Associated Press reported, while dozens of protesters were arrested. Officials disrupted Internet services in a number of regions, including Maan, Al Jazeera noted.

Jordanian King Abdullah II vowed to “deal firmly” with the protesters.

Meanwhile, truckers said their only demand was the reduction of fuel prices, adding they will remain “steadfast” in their strikes. The government pledged to examine the trucker’s demands but said it has paid out more than $700 million to cap fuel prices this year.

Energy prices have previously sparked protests in Jordan, most recently in 2018 when Prime Minister Hani Mulki resigned following days of demonstrations against proposed tax reforms and energy price increases.

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