Security cooperation between Jordan and Syria is becoming increasingly important, according to a report by the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
Jordanian sources cited by the paper expressed “serious concerns” about ISIS attempts to regroup in the Syrian desert and use Syria as a launching pad for attacks on neighboring countries—Jordan in particular.
These sources warned that ISIS operatives could infiltrate local communities, reestablish sleeper cells in major cities, and recruit new members to its extremist Salafi ranks. The threat is growing amid fears that Syria’s internal instability could spill over into Jordan, which is already struggling with its own domestic Islamist tensions.
Jordan is also concerned about ISIS-affiliated elements who oppose Abu Mohammad al-Julani's regime in northwestern Syria.