Jordan’s King Abdullah. (Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
King Abdullah of Jordan has called the battle against the Islamic State “World War 3” in what is a “generational fight” to overcome these “outlaws of Islam.” Speaking to CNN, he implored all religions to come together, adding “this is our war.”
He made a point of referring to the fight against the Islamic State as a “third World War” and called upon all nations to come together to help counter the threat posed by the militant group since they conquered large swathes of Iraq and Syria last year.
“So this is our war. And we have a moral responsibility to reach out to those Muslims, to protect them, and to stop them before they reach our border,” King Abdullah said, speaking to CNN.
The king did not advocate bombarding ISIS positions with nuclear missiles or thousands of tanks, but is advocating a united front, which would bring “Muslims, Christians and other religions together.” He stressed that the ideological element of the conflict will be the hardest element to solve. The US and its allies have ample ammunition to pound Islamic State forces for decades to come.
The Jordanian king has an ax to grind with the Islamic State. He watched his country mourn the horrific death of captured pilot Moath al-Kasasbeh, who was burnt alive by the Islamic State. However, rather than intimidating a nation of around 6.5 million, the actions undertaken by the group, formerly known as ISIS or ISIL, have had the opposite effect, the King believes.
The monarch mentioned that throughout his country’s history, Jordan has always “punched way above our weight,” while the barbaric nature of the Islamic State has “motivated Jordanians to sort of rally around the flag and the gloves have come off.”
King Abdullah, dubbed the “warrior king” after 35 years of military service, pledged that the country would start playing a larger role in the US-led military collation. He even cut his visit to the US short in the wake of the pilot’s death and tried to rally a nation by appearing in military fatigues and black gloves in an Instagram photo, taken nine months ago.