King of Jordan warns of 'world war' against humanity

Jordan's King Abdullah II warned Tuesday of a "third world war against humanity", describing the Islamic State group as "savage outlaws of religion" in the wake of the Paris attacks.

During an official visit to Kosovo, Abdullah said both Europe and Islam were under attack from the "scourge" of terrorism that could strike anywhere and at any time.

"We are facing a third world war against humanity and this is what brings us all together," he told a press conference.

"This is a war, as I've said repeatedly, within Islam," he said, stressing the high number of Muslim victims of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Abdullah said groups such as IS "expose themselves daily as savage outlaws of religion, devoid of humanity, respecting no laws and no boundaries".

"So therefore we must act fast and holistically to tackle and respond to the interconnected threats whether it is in this region, Africa, Asia or in Europe," he said.

In France's worst-ever terror attacks, IS gunmen and suicide bombers murdered 129 people in coordinated onslaughts in Paris on Friday night.

Muslim-majority Jordan is, like France, a member of the US-led coalition battling the group, which controls swathes of land in its neighbours Iraq and Syria.

On Sunday, Abdullah said fighting extremism was "our fight as Muslims against those who aim to turn our societies and future generations towards fanaticism and extremism".

Jordan says it has taken in 1.4 million Syrians fleeing the war there since it broke out in 2011, but the UNHCR puts the figure at 600,000.

At least 250,000 people have died in more than four years of conflict in Syria.
Source: AFP