Jordan strikes ISIL positions in southern Syria

The Jordanian Air Force recently struck a series of "Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant" (ISIL) targets in a series of pre-emptive strikes conducted across the border in southern Syria, the Jordanian army said.

The airstrikes came two years after ISIL burned Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh alive in a cage after his F-16 fighter aircraft crashed over Syria, an atrocity the group recorded on video.

"Jordanian Air Force planes, in memory of our martyrs who have fallen in our war against terrorism, on Friday evening (February 3rd) targeted various positions of the terrorist gang ISIL in southern Syria," an army statement said.

These included a captured former Syrian army base, an ammunition depot, a car bomb workshop and ISIL barracks, the statement said, noting that the strikes were conducted using drones and precision-guided munitions.

Many ISIL elements were killed or injured in the strikes, and many of the group's vehicles were destroyed, the army said, adding that the strikes were part of the "kingdom's efforts to eradicate the terrorist group".

Jordan is part of the international coalition battling ISIL.

'Ongoing war'

The kingdom is fighting terrorist groups on the ideological, military and financial fronts, said Jordanian Minister of Endowments, Islamic Affairs and Holy Places Hayel Daoud.

"Jordan plays a major role in exposing the falsity of these heretical groups and their ideas through scholarly seminars, conferences and other [events]," he told Al-Mashareq.

In a February 8th meeting with the families of soldiers and security personnel who fell in the war against terrorist groups, King Abdullah said the terrorist acts that targeted the kingdom and its people have united Jordanians.

This has made Jordanians stronger and more resilient, he said, and better able to face anyone who thinks of tampering with the country's safety and stability.

Jordan must never relent in its fight against terror groups, Daoud said.

"Terror groups are in countries neighbouring Jordan, such as Syria and Iraq, and we are on the alert and always vigilant," he added.

Close proximity

During a seminar in January, Col. Majdi Harasis of the Military Intelligence Directorate said Jordan is still involved in the military campaigns to defeat ISIL.

"The ISIL-affiliated so-called Khalid ibn al-Waleed army is only about two kilometres away from the Jordanian border," he said.

"We are in the midst of a volatile region, and it is necessary that we remain vigilant and take the initiative to strike terrorist groups," University of Petra graduate Hamza Hammouda told Al-Mashareq.

Jordan must intensify its operations and airstrikes against extremist groups, he said, in order to protect the security and stability of the kingdom.