ISIS militants are paying foreign fighters $1,000 a month, King Abdullah II of Jordan said Monday. The king pointed out that the sum is equivalent to middle-class or upper-middle-class income in Jordan, underscoring the challenge of fighting the militant organization and its allure for would-be jihadists. Analysts have estimated that ISIS has at least 10,000 foreign fighters.
Speaking at the Clinton Global Initiative, a conference hosted by former President Bill Clinton, the king said: “If we don’t get this right, if we don’t step up to this moral responsibility, how are we going to be able to combat this experience, these extremists?”
“It’s something that is now global,” he said. “We’re all invested in it. It’s no longer a fight that we’re fighting inside of the Middle East.” Jordan supports United States airstrikes to beat back ISIS and is sharing intelligence but has not committed to a military role.
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