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The New Generation of Jordanian Jihadi Fighters

(Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) Mona Alami - The Jordanian Salafi-jihadi community is among the biggest contributors of fighters to Syria. The majority of Jordanian jihadis in Syria have joined Jabhat al-Nusra, where two Palestinian-Jordanians, Iyad Toubasi and Mustafa Abdul Latif, occupy leading positions. Iyad Toubasi (Abu Gelebeb) is also the brother-in-law of one of Jordan's better-known Salafi jihadis, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and is believed to have fought with him in Iraq. Syria is significant for the rising generation of Jordanian jihadis currently fighting on the plains and hills of "Bilad al-Sham" (Greater Syria). They envision a holy war to achieve and expand their transnational Islamic state based on sharia. A starting point to achieve that is winning Syria and then turning back to Jordan to reunify "Bilad al-Sham." Recent clashes on February 17 pitted an armed group entering from Syria against Jordanian border guards. No mention was made as to the nationality of the fighters. There are fears among the Jordanian security agencies that these fighters might be comprised of Jordanian nationals, which would have negative implications for the Hashemite Kingdom's stability.
2014-03-13 00:00:00
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