The fate of a Jordanian pilot held by the Islamic State group is still unknown after the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) beheaded Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.
An online video released Saturday night purportedly shows an ISIS militant murdering Goto by cutting off his head, ending days of negotiations by diplomats to save him.
The new video made no mention of another hostage, Jordanian Air Force pilot Lt. Mua’th al-Kasasbeh, who was captured after his fighter plane crashed in December over an ISIS-controlled area of Syria. The fate of Goto and al-Kasasbeh had been linked by ISIS, who demanded Jordan release Sajida a-Rishawi, a high-profile ISIS terrorist who was convicted and sentenced to death for her part in the bombing of hotels in Amman in 2005, which killed more than 60 people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a condolence letter to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, expressing sympathy and support for the families of the victims and saying:
“These despicable, cold-blooded murders by ISIS are a chilling reminder of the need for all free nations to join hands in an uncompromising battle against the Islamist terrorism that is plaguing the Middle East and the entire world.”
Jordanian demands for proof that al-Kasasbeh is still alive before any deal is struck went unheeded and eventually Goto was executed, leaving the Jordanian pilot’s fate unknown.
The pilot’s father said he met King Abdullah of Jordan on Wednesday, who, he said, assured him that “everything will be fine,” Al-Araby Al-Jadid reported.
The continuing situation has created a challenge for the Jordanian regime, with Abdullah dedicating significant efforts to bring about the release of the pilot. Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momni pledged that Jordan would “do everything it can to save the life and secure the release” of al- Kasasbeh. Momeni told the official Petra news agency:
“All state organizations have been mobilized to secure the proof of life that we require so that he can be freed and returned to his home.”
Meanwhile, Jordanian Senate president Abd Al-Raouf al-Rawabdeh has prepared the nation for the possible death of Kasasbeh by telling parliament that “every soldier could be a martyr.”
Jordan is taking a major part in the coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, and American fighter planes and related support troops are stationed on its soil. Jordan is concerned over spillover of ISIS activists from Syria to its territory over their mutual border. The kingdom borders both Syria and Iraq, where the massive presence of the terror group’s fighters is felt.
However, ISIS’s cause had already won some sympathy in Jordan, where some are backing its goal of establishing an Islamic empire. The sympathizers chafe at the continuing rule of their own Western-allied government. Jordan is believed to be, after Saudi Arabia, the second-biggest outside contributor of ISIS fighters, The New York Times reported.
[Photo: DD_tv / You Tube]