King Abdullah says Jordan able to defend itself against IS
'Our borders are extremely secure,' Jordanian king tells 60 Minutes; he also asserts it would be easier to force IS out of Iraq than it would be out of eastern Syria.
As Israel looks eastward with concern that the radical Islamic State will fight its way through Jordan and arrive at the Israeli border, King Abdullah II of Jordan asserted the Hashemite Kingdom's borders were well protected.
"Our borders are extremely secure," King Abdullah told CBS's "60 Minutes" in a segment aired on Sunday.
IS jihadists have seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, both of which border Jordan, declaring a "caliphate" and imposing a brutal interpretation of Islamic law.
"We have retaliated to several contacts over the past several months to those who have come across our borders or tried to come across our borders. So we have been somewhat aggressive to make sure our borders are defended," he said.
The Jordanian king told "60 Minutes" that forcing the Islamic State out of Iraq would be the easier part, but pushing the radical militants out of eastern Syria could take two years.
He said the international community was too slow in responding to the threat IS poses.
The rise of IS, he said, "could have been prevented if the international community worked harder together to make sure funding and support to the original groups in Syria were not allowed to get to the extent that they were.
"I think we could have done a better job in making sure that earlier on it was identified who the bad people were and action by the international community was taken not to allow that to happen."
King Abdullah also asserted IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi did not stand for Islam.
"I hate to use the word 'heretics,' whatever the words of those types are, but to even call himself a Muslim is to me just words that I don't want to use on this program," he said.
"I think to use the word 'Islam' and him in the same sentence is not acceptable. That he even speaks in the name of Islam for me is so horrendous and so shocking," he added.
A Jordanian security official said Sunday Amman has arrested 11 members of the Islamic State (IS) group who it said confessed to planning "terrorist operations" in the kingdom.
The 11 alleged IS members "admitted their links to the leadership of the Daesh organization in Syria and that they were charged with carrying out terrorist operations in Jordan targeting a number of vital interests", the official said, using the IS group's Arabic acronym.
In June, Jordanian sources told Ynet Amman was cooperating with Jerusalem in the face of the threat IS poses both countries.
"There is a very good cooperation between us regarding ISIS' growing presence in Iraq and Syria, but also on issues relating to other radical forces in the Middle East which have their sights set on Israel and Jordan," the diplomatic source said.
The source said cooperation with Israel has only increased as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated.
"The developments on the other side of the border (between Jordan and Iraq) are still unclear, but the Jordanian army is already doing whatever it can to quell any threat from the area.
"As of now the border crossing is operative. Jordan is holding talks with regional forces to find a solution to the political conflict in Iraq. This is not just the ISIS issue, but a deteriorating political situation," the official said.
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