ISIS Kidnaps Downed Jordanian Pilot

Although a Jordanian military warplane was initially reported as having been downed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in northern Syria, it turns out it actually crashed.  They did, however, capture the pilot.

"During a mission Wednesday morning conducted by several Jordanian Air Force planes against hideouts of the ISIS terrorist organization in the Raqa region, one of the planes went down and the pilot was taken hostage" by ISIS, state news agency Petra quoted a source from the military's general staff as saying.

The official did not say why the plane went down, but both the militants and a monitoring group said it had been shot with an anti-aircraft missile.

“Jordan holds the group and its supporters responsible for the safety of the pilot and his life,” the statement added.

The U.S. dismissed Wednesday the claim made by ISIS that it had shot down the F-16.

“Evidence clearly indicates that ISIL did not down the aircraft as the terrorist organization is claiming,” said U.S. Central Command, the body overseeing the coalition air war over Iraq and Syria. 

The U.N.'s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon condemned the kidnapping, as if that means anything to ISIS.

“The secretary noted with concern the news of the downing of a Jordanian plane and of its pilot being taken prisoner,” a statement from the United Nations said.

“He calls on his captors to treat the pilot in accordance with international humanitarian laws.”

As if that will ever happen. More than likely, the pilot will eventually be killed, if the Jordanians don't give whatever it is ISIS might want in exchange.

ISIS has posted photos of the pilot, and his alleged identity: 1st Lt Maaz al-Kassasbeh, born May 29, 1988.

As for the jihadists' allegation that they downed the plane with a heat-seeking missile- they apparently do have some of those, taken from anti-Bashar al-Assad rebels.

Source: Al Arabiya