Calm returned today (Friday) to the forests of North Jordan, scene of violent clashes in the past three days between Jordanian Government troops and Palestinian commandos.

Despite guerilla claims that heavy fighting had resumed the same morning, Reuters correspondent Mohammed Attallah reports he drove for more than three hours through the hilly, wooded region of Jerash and Ajloun, and did not hear a single shot.

The Jordanian authorities announced on Thursday that they had completed the evacuation of all commandos from the populated area from Jerash to Jbeih, an uninhabited district overlooking the Jordan Valley and the Israeli ceasefire line.

In Damascus today (Friday), commando leader Yasser Arafat said fighting was still going on, and accused the Jordanian air force in what he called "the massacre of the woods".

This film was shot by Visnews cameraman George Haj near the battle are on Thursday, when fighting was still going on.

SYNOPSIS: In Jerash district, North Jordan, commando bases were still smoking on Thursday, the third day of heavy fighting between the Jordanian army and Palestinian commandos. Government spokesman claimed during the day that their troops and tank had pushed the Palestinian guerrillas from their remaining positions, while fierce fighting still raged in and around Jerash and Aljoun, some 50 kilometres (20 miles) north of Amman.

On Friday, Reuters correspondent Mohammed Attallah reported from the Jerash area that all was calm at the scene of such violent recent clashes. Despite guerrilla claims that heavy fighting had resumed on Friday morning, he reported he had not heard a shot fired during a three-hour tour of Jerash and Aljoun. All that was to be seen was the aftermath of the fighting. Columns of smoke from fires started in the clashes still rose around the ancient Roman settlement of Jerash, and military vehicles patrolled the area. Life in the villages appeared to be going on normally.