Despite losses, Daesh likely to keep attacking ‘enemies’ — report

AMMAN — Several observers remain concerned that, even as Daesh loses territory in Iraq and Syria, the group will use its networks elsewhere, such as in Jordan, to continue attacking its enemies in 2017, a US Congressional research service paper said. 

The research, titled “Jordan: Background and US Relations” and issued at the end of January, 2017, by researcher Jeremy M. Sharp, specialist in Middle Eastern affairs, said however that these small-scale attacks have failed to threaten the Kingdom’s overall stability. 

In addition to the threat of Daesh, the document listed other potential regional challenges to the country’s stability.

“In early 2017, Jordan is facing a confluence of regional threats that have the potential to undermine its domestic stability,” the report warned. 

“Over the past year, Islamic State [Daesh]-directed or inspired terrorist attacks inside the Kingdom have grown more frequent. The Syrian refugee population has continued to place strains on the economy and social fabric”, the report read. 

The document also mentioned the serious consequences of Donald Trump’s US administration pushing ahead with plans to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. 

“A Trump administration proposal to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem may spark Palestinian and pan Arab protest at a time when the Jordanian government is already facing domestic criticism for alleged security lapses, corruption, and mismanaging of the economy,” the research said.

Meanwhile, the research added that Jordanian and US authorities are concerned not only with Daesh infiltration into the Kingdom, but also with the radicalisation of Jordanians who have fought in Syria. 

“The Kingdom is home to several areas where manifestations of antigovernment sentiment are high, economic prospects are poor, and sympathy for violent extremist groups appears to be prevalent,” the paper said, adding that one study on radicalisation in Jordan found that since 2011, nearly 4,000 Jordanians have fought in Syria and Iraq.