The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a powerful jihadist group that controls key areas of Syria, has seized a swathe of Iraqi territory in a lightning offensive Baghdad's forces seem powerless to halt.
Experts fear Jordan could be one of ISIL's next targets, with YouTube videos purporting to show the group threatening to take jihad there.
Already reeling under the impact of hosting more than 600,000 Syrian refugees, Jordan has long faced security challenges in dealing with its own jihadists, many of whom have joined ISIL and other Al-Qaeda-linked groups in Iraq and Syria.
- "Only the ignorant or those in denial would think that ISIL does not have supporters in Jordan. How do they explain the presence of 2,000 Jordanian jihadists in Syria and Iraq?" Oraib Rantawi, head of Amman's Al-Quds Centre for Political Studies, told AFP.
On Friday, Islamists demonstrated in the restive southern city of Maan, a hotbed of Islamism, praising ISIL "victories" in Iraq, sources said.
"Jordan needs to worry a lot. ISIL is very organised and strong. The group plans to extend its circle to target and include the kingdom," Hassan Abu Hanieh, an expert on Islamist groups, told AFP.
US President Barack Obama has warned the militant offensive could spread.
"That could spill over into some of our allies like Jordan," he said in an interview Sunday on CBS television's "Face the Nation".
- One recent YouTube video shows an ISIL fighter tearing up a Jordanian passport.
Jordan's jihadist movement is generally dominated by anti-ISIL groups that support Al-Qaeda and its Syrian ally Al-Nusra Front, ISIL's rival.......................http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/jordan-fears-iraqi-unrest/1195294.html
23/6/14
--
-
Related:
GR
FR
DE
ES
IT
RU
EU
Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on Monday said that EU foreign ministers are concerned about checkpoints seized by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on the border of Jordan and Syria.
ReplyDeleteAshton said that she will discuss the latest developments in Iraq on Tuesday with U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry after he makes his visit to Iraqi capital Baghdad Monday. Kerry will visit for talks to urge Iraq's Shiite prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to form a more inclusive government as the Sunni militant insurgency continues to expand control over more territories across the country.
She also shared the Foreign ministers's concerns regarding Ukraine and the escalating violence, adding that she did not expect Russia to act on the Association Agreement and Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) between Ukraine, European Union, Georgia and Moldova.
The unrest and ongoing protests in Ukraine were triggered in November when President Yanukovych refused to sign the "Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement" (DCFTA) offered by the EU. The DCFTA was aimed at acting as a springboard for Ukraine to become closer to the 28-member bloc, with the possibility of full membership in the future.
Ukraine’s military and pro-Russia separatists have been engaged in constant fighting for more than two months in Donetsk and Lugansk where pro-Russian sentiments are running high among the ethnic Russian community.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/348933--eu-fms-concerned-over-situation-in-iraq-eus-ashton