Jordanian minister: Participation in ground war against Islamic State still possible


17-10-2014 09:03 PM

Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Khalid Al-Kalaldeh, Jordan's minister of political affairs and parliament, warned Jordanian political parties on Thursday against adopting the rhetoric of the Islamic State, pointing out, at the same time, that his country's choice to enter into a ground war against the Islamic State is not "out of the question", Anadolu news agency reported.

In an interview, Al-Kalaldeh told Anadolu that the chances of Jordan's participation in a ground war against the Islamic State is still "possible", noting that "the war with the Islamic State is open-ended and its choices are also open."

He added: "I'm not a military expert, but the issue can be understood in the context of the views of military experts who have recently indicated that only targeting Islamic State strongholds by air will not settle the battle between the coalition and the Islamic State, which suggests that there is a likelihood of fighting a ground war."

On the other hand, the minister said that any political party in his country that adopts the rhetoric of the Islamic State "will be held accountable in line with the law", adding that, "the country cannot afford promoting the ideology of an unacceptable terrorist organisation."

The Jordanian parliament recently passed a law to combat terrorism, which was endorsed by King Abdullah II on 1 June 2014, in which some of the crimes involved result in the death penalty. The law punishes everyone who tries to promote a "terrorist ideology".

The interview with Al-Kalaldeh took place after the Jordanian ministry of endowment made its decision, before the latest Eid Al-Adha holiday, to prevent a number of preachers and imams from using their platforms for preaching incitement under the pretext that they promote political activities or reject the Jordanian army's involvement in the war against the Islamic State or the Jordanian forces' participation in any foreign war.

This ban included MP Abdul Majeed Al-Aktash, a member of the Islamic Action Front Party, which is the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, as well as the same party's former Secretary General Hamza Mansour.

Only one day after the announcement of Jordan's participation in the international coalition against the Islamic State, the Islamic Action Front Party declared its rejection of any foreign interference in the affairs of the Arab region, issuing a statement noting that Jordan "is not interested in going to war and does not need more tension and violence, thus it is illogical for Jordan to take part in any international alliance".

The Jordanian army announced on 23 September that the Jordanian Air Force's aircrafts had successfully destroyed a number of targets belonging to terrorist groups and they all returned back to their bases intact, pointing that such groups send terrorist elements to the Kingdom of Jordan to carry out acts of sabotage on Jordanian soil.

The US Department of Defence also announced on 23 September that the US and a number of allied Gulf states had launched their first air and missile strikes against the Islamic State organisation in several regions of Syria, opening a new complex front in the US-led alliance's battle against what they call "extremists".




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