Jordanian pilot captured by ISIS after jet downed over Syria

Militants from the so-called Islamic State (IS) have captured a Jordanian jet pilot, whose warplane was reportedly shot down over the jihadists’ stronghold in the eastern Syrian province of Raqqa.

A series of pictures showing cheering gunmen carrying a young and apparently battered man wearing nothing but a white shirt have surfaced online in the wake of the crash.

f16 downed in syria

The plane crash was first reported by the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Later on Wednesday, the Jordanian military confirmed one of its pilots had been captured during coalition airstrikes on IS-held territory. The Jordanian army told IS it is responsible for the pilot’s wellbeing.

“It is well known that this organization [IS] does not hide its terrorist schemes, where many of the criminal acts of destruction and killing [target] innocent Muslims and non-Muslims in Syria and Iraq. Jordan holds the group and its supporters responsible for the safety of the pilot and his life,” the statement reads.

Two relatives of the pilot told Reuters they had been notified by the head of the Jordanian air force about the incident.

 


Jordan is one of several Arab states which joined the US-led campaign to cripple IS through air strikes and via support of their opponents on the ground, including Kurdish militias and Iraqi army.

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