The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), aka the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), envisions a caliphate encompassing not just Iraq and Syria, but Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, and parts of Turkey.
“Amman on high alert fearing ISIS attacks,” AGI, June 28, 2014 (thanks to C. Cantoni):
(AGI) Maan, June 28 – Amman is on maximum alert over a possible attack by jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). There are fears that ISIS will manage to penetrate Jordan after an Iraq-Jordan checkpoint was seized. Two demonstrations were held this week in Maan, 250 kilometres from Jordan, where ISIS black flags were seen flying for the first time. . .
John C. Barile says
Any incursion by ISIS threatens Western interests directly. Any foothold ISIS might gain there would be intolerable and–with hardly any question–force the U.S. to intervene.
umbra says
It appears that war is coming to jordon, unless those who feed isis tighten that leash on their dog … if that leash is still on.
Beagle says
A ‘Caliph’ will be able to order offensive jihad globally. No need for lame pretexts and faked grievances to justify ‘defensive’ jihad.
Beth says
I do not agree with you John C. Barile . Intervene for Israel? Yes. But for all of those other muslim nations? …. If their allah is so great – let him save them.
Why should any more of our sons and daughters be sacrificed every time those countries (thanks to Islam) has a problem?
It would be a sin to get involved. Period.
John C. Barile says
Yes, for Israel and for Jordan, too. The only hope for lasting peace is the continued commitment to peace and normalized relations with Israel that Jordan dutifully upholds. Jordan has a significant Christian minority who enjoy relative tolerance, security, and legal protection. Jordan has many antiquities and sites of religious significance to the Judeo-Christian West–that’s why ISIS/ISIL is determined to brink down the Kingdom.
Establishment of a terror state within Jordan would be a devastating blow to world peace, security, freedoms, and prosperity.
terry says
The ONLY HOPE for lasting Peace is Christ Jesus! Pray for Peace, support Israel, and admit that all of Islam is our enemy and at war with US.
John C. Barile says
True. Christ is the answer. Islam is at war with us, but not all Muslims are. My hope is not merely fatalistic resignation; I would have the U.S. assist Jordan for the sake of Israel, Jordanian Christians, and for such Muslim Jordanians of decency and good will (there are some such, in spite of the hatefulness of their sect).
John C. Barile says
Intervene, I mean. It would be a sin not to. We made pledges to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan–to secure peace–and we would compound the magnitude of a real and existential threat to us all if we did nothing.
To do nothing would cap the comedy of errors that brought us to this point–we would have choosen dishonor over war, only to be consumed by a far greater conflagration later.
John C. Barile says
“–We would have chosen dishonor over war, only to be consumed by a far greater conflagration later.”
John C. Barile says
Beth, do you realize that if the Islamic State invades the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, that surely the State of Israel WILL COME TO KING ABDALLAH’S DEFENSE? That is a certainty, and I insist that observer with the requisite knowledge would dispute this. What do you thing will happen next? If the United States doesn’t resupply Israeli and Jordanian forces, they will eventually give way, and a terrible darkness will descend on the whole world. Think about that.
John C. Barile says
No observer with the requisite knowledge would dispute this.
John C. Barile says
Beth, do you realize that if the Islamic State invades the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, that surely the State of Israel WILL COME TO KING ABDALLAH’S DEFENSE? That is a certainty, and I insist that observer with the requisite knowledge would dispute this. What do you thing will happen next? If the United States doesn’t resupply Israeli and Jordanian forces, they will eventually give way, and a terrible darkness will descend on the whole world. Think about that.
Guy Macher says
We are headed for world war.
Judi says
Yes Guy – I think you are correct. Gd help us all.
Jack Diamond says
Jordan has good reason to worry. It may be momentary paranoia but it’s hard to see a current scenario preventing this ISIS Caliphate from solidifying and spreading. It essentially rules a state in the Middle East, controls its own oil wells and is already quite wealthy. It’s successes are only going to bring more recruits who believe it is favored by Allah and/or the vehicle of the End Times and the Mahdi (Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi himself? ). Abu Bakr, of course, was the first Caliph. This new Abu Bakr has a PhD in fiqh and has the authority to issue fatwas (unlike bin Laden) and ISIS has a growing popularity. These are pretty ominous developments and if the Iraq army fails to unseat ISIS held territory just who is going to?
There are some that don’t agree about the capability of the Jordanian army
to defend the kingdom:
“the threat posed to Jordan by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) which has already taken over wide swathes of Iraq and Syria, is of deep concern to the Obama administration and was the subject of a confidential briefing by administration officials to senators last week, according to the online news site (The Daily Beast).
The chief concern is that an attack on Jordan would inevitably drag Israel and possibly the United States into the fighting.
“Jordan could not repel a full assault from ISIS on its own at this point,” one senator was quoted as saying. Jordan “will ask Israel and the United States for as much help as they can get.”
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.601717
John C. Barile says
I ‘m on the same page as you are, Jack D.
Smart Guy says
Are the majority in Jordan Sunnis? If that is the case then
the Kingdom can be overhrown. A King is just another word for a dictator like Assad. If there is a war between the
invaders and the indigenous peoples, unless the indigenous people are small in number, ,like the American Indian and still in the stone age, the indigenous people always win. ISIS in Jordan will claim to be the Indigenous people’s religion and will only use Arabic speakers.
They have high tech infer-red sniper rifles Rocket Propelled Grenades, Chinese anti-aircraft guns. And even
infantry held surface to air missiles. Also night vision equipment. When they come for Jordan they will have a list of all soldiers that are traitors to Sunni Islam and will proceed to execute them. Obama is a Sunni Moslem sympathizer and if he gets his way he will supply them with another $500 million. Truly, Islam is getting all kinds of “Hope and Change”
They stomped on the Iraqi military because we supplied them with superior weapons and night vision and they knew we left the Iraqis with no air cover.
Did we also supply ISIS with the names of all the soldiers and civil servants that served under us when we occupied Iraq? The NSA did not intercept any of the e-mails or phone messages of ISIS and were without such information that they were about to invade Iraq? Or did Moslems inside NSA prevent the military from getting that information? Let me guess. We hired Moslem Arabic translators instead of Christian Arabic translators to translate NSA’s Arabic intercepts.
John C. Barile says
A modern monarch–a king–is a ceremonial head of state with very limited powers. Examples: the UK, the Benelux countries, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Thailand–and Jordan. If you are “smart” then, why don’t you know this?
John C. Barile says
Please forgive my rude response. And my unjust criticism.
dumbledoresarmy says
The view from Israel.
http://israeliminx.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/bibi-border-with-jordan-and-nice-big-fence-and-my-analysis/
“Bibi: Border with Jordan and nice big fence and my analysis
“The Palestinian leaders really don’t seem to understand that their long history of never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity is pretty much culminating in there not being an opportunity to even miss.
Things change fast on the ground here in the Middle East but the one thing that does not change is Israel’s resolve to survive and Israel’s ability to survive as a thriving free and democratic Jewish State with equal rights for all of its citizens regardless of their religion or ethnicity.
If the Palestinians had accepted the many offers over the years to establish a Palestinian State our security would be at much greater risk. So, really, we should thank the Palestinians for their intransigence.
“We are now talking about the need for our border to be the Jordan River and to build a good strong fence along it.
(Yep. – dda)
“Under the table and back channel, Jordan has asked for our help in defending their borders against the terrorist incursion by ISIS and we will help our neighbour as much as we can.
“However, Jordan, like all our nutty neighbours, has a significant problem of not just the enemy without but the enemy within.
“**Given the changes on the ground in the Middle East, Netanyahu said today that we are not going to agree anything short of a border with Jordan, with the Jordan River being the dividing line, and that we need to build a nice, strong fence along that dividing line in the event that our Jordanian friends crumble from within.** { my emphasis – dda}.
“Shortly before Netanyahu’s speech, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), an offshoot of al-Qaeda which has captured swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, has declared itself an Islamic “Caliphate” and called on jihadi factions worldwide to pledge allegiance to it.
“The group, that has renamed itself “Islamic State,” declared its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghadi as “Caliph” – the head of the state.
“**Charging that Israel could not trust other security forces – such as that of Jordan or the Palestinians – to stop the Islamist threat, Netanyahu stressed that in any future agreement with the Palestinians, “Israel will have to remain along the Jordan river for a very long period of time.”** { my emphasis – dda}
“Our first challenge is to protect our borders. Extremist Islamic forces are knocking on our doors in the north and south and we’ve set up obstacles against them, except for in one sector,” Netanyahu said, referring to the border with Jordan.
“The first thing we must do is build a fence in the east. While the fence doesn’t stop all infilitrations, gun and rocket fire though it or over it, or the digging of tunnels, it dramatically narrows down infilitration to Israel.
“Think what would’ve happened if we didn’t have a fence on the Israeli-Egyptian border.
“Now it is also clear why I insist that our eastern border is along the Jordan River. We must be able to stop the waves of zealotry on the Jordan border,” he added.
Read more about it here…”.