US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Jordan and Saudi Arabia Tuesday as part of an attempt by the US to secure the cooperation of regional powers in the fight against the Islamic State (IS, formally ISIS) terror militia. The trip compliments a parallel effort by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, who was in Turkey on Tuesday with plans to visit other regional allies later in the week. “We need Turkey’s military cooperation, geographically, if not for other reasons,” said one US diplomat. However, observers noted that Turkey’s participation in any action against IS would be hampered by a number of factors, including the dozens of Turkish citizens being held hostage by IS. Read More
