Islamic State: Where key countries stand

[superbeets]

Saudi ArabiaRegional Sunni power Saudi Arabia participated in or supported US-led military action against IS targets in Syria, launched for the first time on 23 September, according to the US defence department.
The Saudi government had earlier hosted an international meeting at which regional states vowed to "do their share" to combat IS.


Riyadh also agreed to a US request to provide a base to train moderate Syrian rebel forces. The kingdom has been a key supporter of the rebels, including hardline Islamist groups, but it has rejected an Iranian accusation that it has directly supported IS. However, wealthy Saudis have sent donations to the group and some 2,500 Saudi men have travelled to Syria to fight.
The Saudi authorities are concerned that IS will inspire Saudi jihadists to challenge the monarchy's legitimacy and seek to overthrow it.
In July, Riyadh deployed 30,000 troops to beef up security along its border with Iraq, and the following month hosted Iran's deputy foreign minister as the two regional rivals agreed to co-operate.

 

[superbeets]

JordanJordan, a staunch US ally, said it had joined the US and several Gulf Arab states in carrying out air strikes on IS militants in Syria on 23 September to "ensure the stability and security" of its borders.
A government spokesman said it took action in order to "pre-empt danger before it arrived in our country", and that he believed the Jordanian public would understand the need to forestall the jihadist group before it became active in Jordan.

The black flag used by Islamic State was flown in the main square in the Jordanian town of Maan in July
IS has threatened to "break down" Jordan's borders and the group enjoys the support of a growing number of people in the kingdom, some of whom staged demonstrations in the southern town of Maan in June. More than 2,000 Jordanian citizens are believed to have travelled to Syria to fight in the past three years.
Before launching the air strikes on IS, the Jordanian military had doubled its military presence along the border with Iraq.
King Abdullah II has long called on Syria's President Assad to step down and has reportedly allowed Jordan to become a staging ground for the rebels and their foreign backers.

 

[superbeets]

IranRegional Shia power Iran has seen IS - which regards Shia as heretics who should be killed - advance to within 25 miles (40km) of its border.
Although Iran stands on the opposite side of much of the international community over Syria, it has called for co-operation against IS. It has reached out to its rival Saudi Arabia - the leading Sunni power - and turned a blind eye to US actions in Iraq, which it has historically opposed.

In Iraq, the Iranians themselves have played a key role in countering IS. Revolutionary Guards have advised Iraqi security forces, Iranian pilots have carried out air strikes, and Iranian-backed Shia militia have been mobilised.
Iran says it has also been sending weapons and advisers to Iraqi Kurdistan. In addition, Tehran joined Washington in withdrawing support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki in August.
US Secretary of State John Kerry opposed Iran's attendance at an international conference in Paris in September on helping the new Iraqi government fight IS, but stressed that he was still prepared to discuss Iraq and Syria with the Iranians. Iranian officials meanwhile insisted that they had rejected multiple invitations by the US to join the coalition.

 

[superbeets]

IraqThe former Shia-dominated government of Nouri Maliki marginalised Iraq's Sunni community, creating conditions which helped the extremist Sunni IS come to prominence.

The US hopes Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's new administration can win the support of Iraq's Sunnis
When IS overran the northern city of Mosul in June before moving southwards, Mr Maliki requested US air strikes. However, US President Barack Obama said further military assistance was dependant on an inclusive government being formed.
He nevertheless launched air strikes in August when thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority became trapped on Mount Sinjar.
In September, Mr Maliki stepped aside and a new Iraqi government was named. The next phase of US assistance will reportedly involve an intensified effort to train, advise and equip the Iraqi military, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Sunni tribesmen willing to turn against IS.
It is not clear how new Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will deal with the Shia militiamen who have stopped IS reaching Baghdad. Some have been accused of operating outside of the state's control and carrying out reprisal attacks against Sunnis.
At the end of August, Mr Abadi vowed to rebuild the Iraqi army and to create a new "national guard organisation" modelled on the Sunni Sahwa (Awakening) councils that battled al-Qaeda alongside US troops

 

[superbeets]

SyriaSince the start of the uprising against his rule in March 2011, President Bashar al-Assad has repeatedly warned of the threat of Islamist extremists to Syria and the wider region.
Western powers initially dismissed Mr Assad's portrayal of his opponents as "terrorists", but became increasingly concerned by the rise of IS and al-Qaeda's affiliate, al-Nusra Front.

The US is relying on "moderate" Syrian rebels to take the fight to IS
Although they now acknowledge that IS cannot be beaten without attacking its strongholds in Syria, they still want Mr Assad out of power and are reluctant to co-operate with him.
On 10 September, Mr Obama announced he had authorised air strikes in Syria, despite concerns over their legality, the threat of Syria's air defence system, and the fact that they might benefit Mr Assad. Instead, Mr Obama said he would rely on Syrian rebels to take the fight to IS and persuaded the US Congress to authorise a plan to train and equip "moderate" groups.
The Syrian foreign ministry said it was given advance warning of the US-led air strikes on IS targets on its territory on 23 September, stating it supported international efforts at "combating terrorism".

 

[superbeets]

United Arab EmiratesThe UAE was reported to have offered its air force to attack IS positions in Iraq before it participated in the military action in Syria in September.
It is vehemently opposed to Islamist groups in the region and is believed to have launched air strikes on Islamist-allied militia in Libya from bases in Egypt in August.

 

[superbeets]

QatarQatar was another Gulf state to participate in or support the US-led military action against IS in Syria. The emirate is the location of Al Udeid Air Base, a highly-classified US facility from which all attack and surveillance missions in the region are co-ordinated by US Central Command (CentCom).
The Qatari government has been forced to repeatedly deny accusations from Iraq's Shia leaders that it provided financial support to IS. However, wealthy individuals in the emirate are believed to have made donations and the government has given money and weapons to hardline Islamist groups in Syria.
Doha is also believed to have links to the al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate.
Since IS launched its offensive in northern Iraq in June, the Qatari authorities are reported to have repaired relations with other Gulf states who accused it of meddling in their affairs.

 

[superbeets]

BahrainBahrain has also participated in or supported the US-led military action against IS in Syria. The kingdom hosts the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is responsible for naval forces in the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

 

[superbeets]

TurkeyTurkey is eager to defeat IS, which has advanced into territory along its borders with Syria and Iraq. However, it refrained from signing a communique that committed a number of Middle Eastern states to take "appropriate" news measures to counter IS, frustrating US officials.
Ankara's response has been reportedly restrained out of concern for the 49 Turkish citizens kidnapped by the jihadist group in Mosul in June. However, they were released in September following a "secret rescue operation" by Turkish intelligence.

Turkey was reportedly reluctant to commit to fighting IS while 49 Turkish citizens were being held hostage
Turkey has offered to allow humanitarian and logistical operations from Nato air bases on its soil. The authorities have also attempted to stem the flow through Turkish territory of jihadists wanting to join IS. Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of President Assad and it became the primary route into Syria for foreigners wanting to fight alongside the rebels. Since the start of the year, more than 450 foreigners have been detained or deported and Turkish security forces have sought to close smuggling routes.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey's military is also working on plans to establish a "buffer zone" along its borders.
Turkey is anxious that weapons sent by Western countries to Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga forces do not end up in the hands of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - designated a terrorist group by Ankara, the US and EU - which has joined the fight against IS in northern Iraq. When IS advanced on the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane in September, police clashed with Turkish Kurds who wanted to cross the border to help their brethren.

 

[superbeets]

LebanonLebanon has become deeply divided by the conflict in Syria, and has had to deal with an overspill of violence and a huge influx of refugees.

About two dozen members of the Lebanese security forces were kidnapped by IS in August
In August, Syria-based IS fighters raided the border town of Arsal, killing and kidnapping dozens of Lebanese security personnel.
Jihadist militants have also carried out a series of deadly bombings in Beirut and elsewhere. They have mostly targeted Iranian facilities and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia Islamist group whose fighters have played a key role in helping turn the tide in President Assad's favour.
Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam has warned that the spread of IS poses "a big test that our destiny depends on". His country's many religious and political factions have been urged to put aside their differences to ensure the group does not establish a foothold.

 

[superbeets]

Other Arab statesEgypt, Kuwait, and Oman joined Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon in signing a communique at a meeting in Jeddah that declared their "shared commitment to stand united against the threat posed by all terrorism". They pledged to provide military support and humanitarian aid, and to halt the flow of funds and foreign fighters to IS.

 

[superbeets]

European UnionFrance launched air strikes in Iraq on 19 September. It had already been carrying out reconnaissance flights and providing weapons to Kurdish fighters in the north of the country. French President Francois Hollande has insisted that he will not send ground troops to Iraq or authorise air strikes in Syria.

France is one of a number of countries sending arms to Iraqi Kurds to fight IS
The UK has said that no decision has been made about how it will be involved in the fight against IS, but that it would play a "leading role". It has not ruled out air strikes in Iraq or Syria, but has said targeting IS positions in the latter would be complicated. MPs voted against the government's plans for military action in Syria a year ago.
Germany has said it has a "humanitarian responsibility... to help those suffering and to stop IS". It has provided weapons to Kurdish fighters but ruled out air strikes.