Jordan focuses on IS fight while Gulf allies pull back
Jordan's King Abdullah expresses strong differences from many of his allies on how best to deal with the Islamic State, fighting regional terrorism, developments in Syria and US Middle East policy.
Jordan’s King Abdullah has reiterated his commitment to confront Islamist extremists, or “outlaws,” as he calls them, while maintaining his country’s leading role in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria and Iraq. But observers in Amman believe the king is worried about cracks in the US-led coalition against the terrorist group.
In his interview with Fox News on April 13, Abdullah disclosed that Jordan is now the only Arab country left in that coalition, after the Unitd Arab Emirates and Bahrain withdrew their fighter jets in the wake of the Saudi-led airstrikes on Yemen, which began March 26.
