Jordan has sent fighter aircraft to provide logistical support for the no-fly zone over Libya and to protect aid flights from the kingdom, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said on Wednesday.

He did not say how many Jordanian jets had been deployed, but another government official said six planes were involved.

"The fighter planes were sent to a European base to protect our humanitarian corridor and provide logistical support for the no-fly zone," Judeh told Reuters. "The mission does not have a combat role".

Jordan's Petra news agency said the first Jordanian aid flight landed at Benghazi airport on Monday.

Qatar was the first Arab country to contribute planes to police the no-fly zone. Last Thursday, a French armed forces spokesman said fighter jets from the United Arab Emirates had arrived at an air base in Sardinia to support Nato's Libya operation, meant to protect civilians caught up in a civil war between Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and rebel forces. – Reuters