Jordanian Parliamentarians Say US Must Eliminate Islamic State: Reports

Jordanian parliamentarians have accused the United States of escalating the crisis in Syria and have urged the Jordanian government to refrain from further military cooperation with Washington against the Islamic State (IS), Iranian Press TV reports Monday.

MOSCOW, December 29 (Sputnik) – The Jordanian parliamentarians concluded that the United States is solely responsible for the escalation of the crisis in Syria, and hence "must reap what [it] has sown in the Arab country single-handedly," according to Press TV.

The announcement came after several Arab media outlets reported that Jordan and the United States intend to mobilize their ground forces against IS insurgents in Syria and Iraq. Jordan is a member of US-led coalition to fight IS and, along with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has taken part in airstrikes against the militants.

Last week, Jordanian military reported that one of its airplanes crashed in the city of Raqqa, Syria, and its pilot had been captured. IS claimed it targeted the plane with a heat-seeking missile. However, the Jordanian military said the plane was not downed by the militants and urged the media not to disseminate any information counter to their version of events as it could affect national security.

The Islamic State is a Sunni Muslim jihadist group estimated by the CIA to number some 80,000 people. The IS proclaimed a caliphate on territories it captured in Syria and Iraq in summer. The United States is leading an anti-IS coalition that has been conducting airstrikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria. The coalition comprises more than 60 countries.