Britain, NATO ready to support Jordan against Islamic State
Saudi Paper: Jordan handed NATO secret security reports showing expansion of extremists in Iraq, ideas to counter group’s advance towards its territory.
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMONSyrian waves an Islamist flag in celebration after Islamic State militants took over Tabqa air base(photo credit: REUTERS)
The British ambassador in Amman said that his country and NATO would help Jordan deal with any threat from the Islamic State, a Saudi newspaper reported on Sunday.Jordan handed NATO secret security reports showing the expansion of the terrorist group in Iraq, including ideas to counter the group’s advance towards its territory, the Saudi newspaper Okaz reported.A NATO Summit is scheduled to begin on Thursday in Wales.The British ambassador to Jordan, Peter Millet, said his country and NATO are ready to coordinate with Jordan to deal with the danger it faces from the Islamic State. Millet added that the stability and security of the Hashemite Kingdom are a top priority for his government.Around 1,200 Jordanians are fighting in Syria with Islamic State, according to the report.Jordan's powerful intelligence services appear to be deploying their full range of tools to counter the threat. King Abdullah has said the country has never been better prepared to face the radical threat sweeping the region.Islamic State's gains have sparked a fierce debate among Jordanian Islamists from the Salafist movement on whether to back the group, whose brutality has been criticized even within radical Islamist circles.But buoyed by territorial gains, Islamic State’s sympathizers appear to be winning the argument.Meanwhile, King Abdullah met a visiting US congressional delegation on Sunday to discuss bilateral relations and developments in the region.Abdullah emphasized the importance of the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in order to achieve a two-state solution, Jordan News Agency Petra reported.
