...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling
Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
(IS), officials say.
The State Department and Pentagon declined comment on any future moves to assist Jordan with requests for weapons. But several U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
, said that planning was well underway to help replenish Jordan's supplies of ordnance.
U.S. efforts to expedite delivery of munitions and other weapons follow a vocal appeal from Jordan's King Abdullah to American politicians last week for greater U.S. support.
A source close to the Jordanian government told Rooters the kingdom believed its supplies of bombs are being stretched too thin as it expands its role in strikes following the Islamic State's grisly execution of a Jordanian pilot.
Jordanian military experts say the kingdom could struggle to sustain the intensity of the air strikes, even as Abdullah has ordered his commanders to prepare for a bigger military role in the international coalition fighting Islamic State.
He met with U.S. politicians in Washington last week, saying he sought precision munitions along with aircraft parts and additional night vision equipment, and noted delays in working through normal U.S. channels.
That prompted a letter from the Senate Armed Services Committee, led by Republican Senator
John MaverickMcCain
... the Senator-for-Life from Arizona, former presidential candidate and even more former
foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution...
, urging the B.O. regime to process Jordan's requests "with a sense of urgency reflecting the pace of events."
"If the (Obama) administration does not up its game with Jordan in terms of equipment for their military, help on refugees, there will be strong pushback from Congress," Senator
Lindsey Graham... the endangered South Carolina RINO...
, a Republican committee member, told Rooters.
The U.S. officials said they are working to expedite support for Jordan but declined to discuss delivery timelines for specific systems, including munitions and aircraft parts.
At his meeting with politicians, Abdullah remarked that Jordan's military had become adept at using unguided bombs but stressed the need for precision-guided munitions, according to a Senate source at the talks, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
.
Sources in the United States and Jordan say the kingdom has requested Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, which can modify conventional bombs to convert into precision-guided systems, using global position system (GPS) technology. JDAMs are manufactured by Boeing (BA.N).
The United States provides more than $300 million in security assistance to Jordan annually, a figure that is expected to grow. On Feb. 3 the United States and Jordan signed a new memorandum of understanding that committed the United States to increase its assistance from $660 million to $1 billion per year for 2015-2017.