By JERUSALEM POST STAFFJordan'sKing Abdullah II appointed his national security adviser as the new prime minister Thursday, giving him a mandate to launch an all-out war against Islamic terror in the wake of this month's triple hotel blasts.
In a designation letter to newly appointed Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit, Abdullah said that the November 9 attacks "reaffirm our need to adopt a comprehensive strategy to confront the Takfiri culture," Abdullah said, referring to the ideology adopted by al-Qaida and other terrorists who condone the killing of those they consider infidels.
The king called for a "relentless war on all the Takfiri schools, which embrace extremism, backwardness, isolation and darkness and are fed on the ignorance and naivety of simple people."
Abdullah also called for a new anti-terrorism law to replace the current, general one that does not specify punishment for different terrorist acts and their perpetrators.
The change of government is part of general shake-up following the suicide bombings of three Amman hotels on Nov. 9.
Al-Bakhit, 58, was Jordan's ambassador to Israel until six days after the bombings, when he was appointed to head the national security council, a post that entails liaising between the king and the security services.