The Jordan Army confirms one of its
pilots has been captured in Syria after Islamic State fighters said they
shot down his plane.
IS claims to have used a missile to shoot down the pilot's plane
A Jordanian pilot has been captured by
Islamic State militants after his plane was downed during coalition air
raids in Syria, the Jordanian army says.
An army statement read on state television said: "Jordan
holds the group and its supporters responsible for the safety of the
pilot and his life."The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group quoted pro-IS activists as saying the plane was brought down near Raqqa city, a stronghold of Islamic State fighters in northern Syria.
The IS in Raqqa published photographs on jihadist websites purporting to show its fighters holding the captured pilot and showed a military card identifying him as 26-year-old First Lieutenant Maaz al Kassasbeh.
IS militants with the pilot
Another showed him on land, surrounded by about a dozen armed men.
The militants claimed to have used a heat-seeking missile to bring down the plane.
Jordan is among a number of countries that have joined the US-led alliance carrying out airstrikes against IS after the jihadis seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain are taking part in the action in Syria alongside the US.
No comments:
Post a Comment