HALTING THE FLOW OF FOREIGN INSURGENTS AND

S E C R E T AMMAN 005992

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/27/2015
TAGS: PREL PTER JO
SUBJECT: HALTING THE FLOW OF FOREIGN INSURGENTS AND
TERRORISTS TO IRAQ

REF: STATE 136754

Classified By: CDA DAVID HALE, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (S) Acting DCM drew from reftel points July 27 in a
meeting with Walid Obeidat, director of the Foreign
Minister's private office. Obeidat noted that Jordan agreed
that foreigners in Iraq contributed to the violence there out
of proportion to their numbers. Jordan sees the "foreign
fighter" phenomenon as a danger not only to Iraq, but in the
longer term, potentially to Jordan itself. Jordanian
security services make it a priority to monitor Jordanians
who might be tempted to go to Iraq to join the insurgency, he
said, and to head them off when possible. They also try to
intercept young male travelers to Iraq or Syria who do not
appear to have legitimate business there.


2. (S) Obediat pointed to some of the GOJ's efforts to
delegitimize the supposed religious credentials of terrorism,
including the Amman message of November, 2004, the Amman
Islamic conference of July 4-5, 2005, and follow-up
statements by the clerics attending that conference
denouncing terrorism. He said Jordan would continue this and
other informational efforts to undermine the appeal of both
the Iraq insurgency and terrorism more broadly. He also
undertook to relay to FM Qasrawi and the Jordanian security
services our request that the GOJ review its efforts to deter
and intercept young men who might be headed for the Iraq
insurgency.
HALE