Lt. Kasasbeh’s Death Spurs Jordan On

The murder of Jordanian pilot 1^st Lt. Moath Kasasbeh has galvanized the nation and its leadership. Jordan’s air force has launched dozens of bombing runs over Islamic State territory in the past two days in a campaign titled “Moath the Martyr.” Fighter jets carried out dozens of sorties, apparently destroying all targets while sustaining no losses, and returned to base after carrying out a fly-over of Lt. Kasasbeh’s home town. Jordan’s foreign minister Nasser Judeh stated that the airstrikes were just the beginning of their retaliation against the Islamic State, and they had yet to begin their war against the terrorist group in earnest: “We are upping the ante. We’re going after them wherever they are, with everything that we have. But it’s not the beginning, and it’s certainly not the end.”

Reports from the Iraqi media claim that the airstrikes killed around 55 Islamic State fighters, including a commander known as the “Prince of Nineveh.” With the execution of two jihadists, Sajida al-Rishawi and Ziad al-Karbouly, by hanging after Kasasbeh’s death, Jordan is taking a hardline stance against the threat posed by the Islamic State.

Before Lt. Kasasbeh’s capture and death, many Jordanians had questioned their nation’s participation in the US-led coalition against Islamic State. Now, however, a rally in Amman in support of the airstrikes and condemning Islamic State’s execution of Lt. Kasasbeh drew thousands of people in support. Queen Rania joined marchers as they made their way through downtown Amman, bearing signs that claimed Lt. Kasasbeh as “The Martyr of Righteousness.”

However, Jordan also faces the threat of Islamic State militants possibly operating inside the Kingdom. An estimated 1500 Jordanians have left the country to fight for Islamic State. Demonstrations featuring the Islamic State flag were not uncommon particularly in the Salafist stronghold of Ma’an, Jordan, and Jordanian security has cracked down,on suspected Islamic State militants; around 200 arrests have been made in the last few months.

In the meantime, California Representative Duncan Hunter has revived a call to sell Predator reconnaissance drones to Jordan in order to help them fight Islamic State. The State Department had denied the deal last year, citing that Jordan was not a strong enough ally. The United States is already giving Jordan a billion dollars in economic and military aid this year, and has signed an agreement to give an additional $400 million in security aid a year until 2017.

With Jordan’s King Abdullah promising to fight ISIS until they run out of “fuel and bullets,” it’s certainly well within the U.S.’ interest to continue to keep Jordan armed and in the fight, although we shouldn’t underestimate the threat to stability posed by Jordan’s native supporters of jihad.