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Will campaign against Islamic State unleash wave of repression?

Human rights advocates on and off Capitol Hill are worried about giving Arab leaders a blank check to go after those they deem "terrorists."

U.S. Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) talks to a television reporter during interviews in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, January 15, 2014. Moran, a 12-term Virginia liberal, became on Wednesday the third member of his party this week to announce he will not seek re-election in November. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst    (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX17FDA
US Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., talks to a television reporter during interviews in his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 15, 2014. — REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Lawmakers and human rights activists are increasingly concerned that the rush to create a grand coalition against the Islamic State (IS) could empower authoritarian regimes across the Middle East.

The issue has received scant attention in recent weeks as Secretary of State John Kerry has traveled the world in search of allies to combat a group Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has warned is "beyond anything that we've seen."

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