AMMAN: Jordan has arrested 11 members of the Islamic State (IS) group who it said confessed to planning "terrorist operations" in the kingdom, a security official said on Sunday.

 

IS jihadists have seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, both of which border Jordan, declaring a "caliphate" and imposing a brutal interpretation of Islamic law.

 

The 11 alleged IS members "admitted their links to the leadership of the Daesh organisation in Syria and that they were charged with carrying out terrorist operations in Jordan targeting a number of vital interests", the official said, using the IS group's Arabic acronym.

 

Security forces were continuing their investigation into the group, the source added in comments published by state news agency Petra.

 

Washington has drummed up support for an international coalition, which includes Jordan and Saudi Arabia, to tackle the IS group in Syria and Iraq.

 

The jihadists' advances have raised fears that they could gain ground in neighbouring Jordan, which is struggling to deal with an influx of 600,000 Syrian refugees and to contain local Islamist groups.