Jordan executes 2 Iraqi prisoners in response to ISIS killing of pilot

AMMAN - Jordan has executed by hanging a jailed Iraqi woman militant whose release had been demanded by the Islamic State group that burnt a captured Jordanian pilot to death, a security source said on Wednesday.

Responding to the killing of the pilot, whose death was announced on Tuesday, the Jordanian authorities also executed another senior al-Qaida prisoner sentenced to death for plots to wage attacks against the pro-Western kingdom in the last decade.

Sajida al-Rishawi, the Iraqi woman militant, was sentenced to death for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack that killed 60 people. Ziyad Karboli, an Iraqi al-Qaida operative, who was convicted in 2008 for killing a Jordanian, was also executed at dawn, the source said.

Jordan, which has been mounting air raids in Syria as part of the US-led alliance against Islamic State insurgents, said it would deliver a "strong, earth-shaking and decisive" response to the killing of pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh.

The fate of Kasaesbeh, a member of a large tribe that forms the backbone of support for the country's Hashemite monarchy, has gripped Jordan for weeks and some Jordanians have criticized King Abdullah for embroiling them in the US-led war that they say will provoke a militant backlash.

Jordan does have an interest in this conflict.

The declared aim of these jihadis is to conquer the Islamic lands and unite them into a single Caliphate. Then to conquer the world, in the name of God, and impose Sharia (Islamic law) globally. This is the great cause that they use to recruit foreign fighters to join them.

As they talk (in Arabic), the Jordanian Government listens. Many of the jihadis are themselves Jordanians, so this is a debate within their own communities, indeed within many families in Jordan. An earlier leader (Abu Musab al-Zarqawi) of what has now become ISIS, was a Jordanian, so they know his family and tribe quite well.

For those familiar with the thinking in Jihadi circles, Jordan is next, after Syria and Iraq. They propose killing the King, and his family. They are obviously quite serious about killing.

“Most of the problems Jordan faces today are the direct result of regional instability caused by others — including the U.S. “

I would say that is true, but it is always the case in the unstable Middle East. Turkey has provided the main military assistance to ISIS and other groups which have destabilized Syria. Qatar and Gulf Arabs have funded it. The US emptied the prisons (Camp Bucca Confinement Facilty) in 2009 of the al Qaeda in Iraq members, who now form the backbone of ISIS (including their Caliph, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, and their top military commanders). The US also apparently covertly allowed/assisted the provision of munitions through Turkey to “rebel groups” in Syria, much of which ended up with ISIS.

Regardless of why this threat is at Jordan’s borders, and infiltrated within it’s population; it is an existential threat to the Jordanian state, the Jordanian people, and the King’s own life.

I posted earlier about how the King needs the President to authorized expedited processing of Foreign Military Sales to conduct a sustained air campaign - they can only buy or receive the advanced munitions that their jets use with export control approval from the USA.

Also, Jordan did earlier attempt to let the US handle the situation. CENTCOM established a presence in Northern Jordan, and has been training and equipping Syrian rebels.

It is a common (and rational) attitude to let Americans do the fighting and pay the bills. Everyone (except Americans)would prefer that.

The situation is just becoming more dire, and more of a domestic political issue/crisis within Jordan. The King has to deal with it now.

“If “Mom Jeans” in the WH won’t supply what Jordan needs, maybe Japan is mad enough to help Jordan with some funds.”

That is a great idea. Jordan has an excellent reputation within the Middle East, respected by both Western standards and Arab standards. Japan could not find a “cleaner”, less offensive regional partner to drop bombs on ISIS. Funding some shady rebel group could result in some embarrassment if they are shown to engage in theft and atrocities. Jordan can conduct operations professionally and credibly.

Perfectly situated and perfectly timed to meet Japan’s counterstrike needs.

Although I’d like to see the French and Japanese equip the Kurds with a mountain of heavy weapons, the Iraqi Government would object and demand to receive them instead.

Jordan is ready to charge.

I think that blaming America as the main cause of Middle-East instability is an over-reach - an over-simplification of a notoriously complex region. Many players, with many different agendas have had significant impacts.

The Soviet Union established client states (e.g. Syria) and revolutionary/terrorist movements (e.g. PLO) within the Region, and attempted for decades to de-stabilize governments to advance communist dictatorships in the region.

Arab Nationalists, like the Ba’ath parties (founded in the 1920’s), which were essentially Nazi ideologies with the Arab race instead of the Aryan race; conducted coups, installed dictatorships, and sought to take over their neighbors.

The Muslim Brotherhood, has actively sought to overthrow regimes in the region to install religious dictatorships, since WWII.

Bloody Sunni/Shia conflicts have characterized Islamic history from the time of the first generation of Islam. The rise of a Shia dictatorship in Iran has raised that conflict to perhaps the central conflict in the region today.

In their propaganda, ISIS pours more vitriol on the Shia than anything else - the Assad regime in Syria, and the Government in Iraq are majority Shia. Countering the rise of a Shia crescent from Iran, through Iraq and Syria to the sea; was a primary reason for the Sunni Gulf Arabs to fund these jihadis.

We get involved a lot because we have strategic interests in the region (oil supply, basing, naval control),and have allies who are often in need of assistance (e.g. Kuwait being invaded by Saddam, Israel under constant threat). Because we are such a dominant military, diplomatic, cultural and economic power; our actions do have a big effect, and big repercussions.

There have been some downsides to US involvement, and some unexpected consequences, but there have been significant upside contributions as well.

The region is inherently unstable. The Mid-East has suffered for some truly horrific leaders, from within their own population and culture.

If the US was the cause of most of their problems, why hasn’t the rest of the world suffered equally from such evil influence?

How can stability be achieved without militarily defeating the brutal ISIS army, bent on conquest?

“ain’t it funny how ISIS wasn’t even a player when Saddam Hussein was still in power?”

Saddam was an exceptionally brutal dictator. Everything in Iraq was under his control, or ruthlessly supressed. See the book Republic of Fear for details.

He comitted large-scale genocide operations against the Kurds (not members of the Arab Race), during the Anfal Campaign. His cousin, Chemical Ali, was sentenced to death for his extensive (routine) use of nerve gas, in ethnically cleansing wide areas of Kurds.

Saddam personally killed many opponents and those who even aggravated him slightly. He rose initially within the Ba’ath Party as an assassin. He had a special pool installed in one of his palaces, which could hold concentrated nitric acid, and had a pulley system to use to lower prisoners into the acid. The day he took over the Ba’ath Party, he spent the afternoon executing 20% of the Central Committee of the Party one at a time, while the rest sat in an auditorium with him, not knowing who was next. Watch the 4 minute video on Youtube, he had it videotaped: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm64E5R12s8

The early cadre of what would later become al Quaeda in Iraq, and later as ISIS/ISIL/IS, were in fact, covert guests of the Ba’ath Party in Iraq, reporting to the Intelligence services, as were many other terroist groups. The facility at Salman Pak, south of Baghdad was used for training them, and others, to conduct terrorist operations. (http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/iraq/salman_pak.htm )

Saddam was one of the largest supporters of terrorist organizations in the world at the time, and offered an open $25,000 bounty to the family of anyone who conducted suicide attack against Israelis.

Before September 11, 2001, al Quaeda was little known in the West, but well known in intelligence circles, including Iraqi. After the Gulf War in the mid 90’s, Saddam began systematic outreach to Islamist terrorist groups and revolutionary networks. The formerly secular Ba’ath Party began adopting religious themes, posting billboards depicting Saddam at prayer, and beginning construction of the giant Saddam Mosque.

Saddam sought deniable surrogates who could attack America after his Gulf War defeat, without suffering massive retaliation - this became conventional military theory among our enemies on how to fight the US, after the shocking display of American dominance on the battlefield in the Gulf War. Al Quaeda sought sophisticated training, weaponry and shelter. They kept in line and under cover in Iraq during the Saddam regime.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.