A suspected al-Qaeda militant has been shot dead by Jordanian security forces during a raid in the north.

One person was also captured during the operation in Irbid, about 56 miles (90km) of the capital, state TV said.

It said the operation was launched after the security forces received information that an al-Qaeda cell was planning attacks in the country.

It said several troops were wounded when the suspects opened fire as police tried to arrest them.

The suspect killed was identified as Suleiman Anjadi, "holder of a temporary Jordanian passport", according to the television report.

The captured suspect was named as Jordanian national Awni Mansi.

'Strong support'

The joint force "stormed a house in the Matlaa neighbourhood of Irbid, where they had sought refuge and the suspects opened fire on the security forces when they tried to arrest them", the report added.

Police had been monitoring the group and the shoot-out lasted about three hours, ending early on Tuesday.

Jordan's close ties with the US and its 1994 peace agreement with Israel are unpopular with many in the conservative kingdom and there is strong support for Islamist fighters in some areas.

Jordanian officials say several hundred militants have entered Iraq via Jordan and Syria since the US-led invasion in 2003.

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Map of Jordan