King Abdullah vowed a severe response for the murder of a captured Jordanian fighter pilot, saying ISIS isn’t just fighting his nation but is warring against “noble Islam” itself, according to a statement read on state TV.
The country wants to step up the airstrikes it conducts on ISIS, said a source with direct knowledge of the situation.
Earlier, the King announced the executions of two jihadist prisoners who were aligned with the terror group in retaliation for ISIS’ burning the pilot, 27-year-old Lt. Moath al-Kasasbeh, to death.
One of the convicts hanged was Sajida al-Rishawi, a would-be suicide bomber whose release ISIS had previously demanded as part of a prisoner exchange, the Jordanian government said.
The other was Ziad Karbouli, a former top aide to the deceased leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
CNN is not showing images of al-Kasasbeh’s killing, which drew global condemnation and prompted protests and vows of retaliation in Jordan.
“Those criminals cannot be compared to Moath,” said al-Kasasbeh’s father, Safi, referring to the prisoners’ execution. “Moath’s blood is much more valued than these two prisoners.”
He called on the Jordanian government to execute all prisoners with links to ISIS. “Annihilate this organization,” he said.
His sentiments found voice on the streets of Amman, the capital, and in the pilot’s hometown.
One demonstrator held a poster that read: “They burned our hearts, so let’s burn their dens, and their prisoners in our prisons.”
Pilot ‘gave his life defending his faith’
King Abdullah arrived back in Jordan on Wednesday after cutting short a visit to the United States, where he met with President Barack Obama. There were calls to gather at the airport to show support when the King arrived.
“The brave pilot gave his life defending his faith, country and nation and joined other Jordanian martyrs who gave their lives for Jordan,” Abdullah said in a televised statement Tuesday, describing ISIS as a cowardly and deviant group that has nothing to do with Islam.
Al-Kasasbeh was captured by ISIS in December after his fighter jet crashed near Raqqa, the extremist group’s stronghold in Syria. He was participating in the U.S.-led air campaign against ISIS targets.
The pilot was one of eight children, according to the Jordan Times. He was from Karak governorate and graduated from King Hussein Air College, the newspaper said.
At the time of his capture, his father told the paper that his son was “a very modest and religious person” who memorized the Quran and “was never harmful to anyone.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described al-Kasasbeh as everything ISIS is not: “He was brave, compassionate and principled.”
“That he was murdered after his father’s plea for compassion reminds all the world that this foe has no agenda other than to kill and destroy, and places no value on life, including that of fellow Muslims,” Kerry said.
A plan to save captured pilots?
There has apparently been concern from the United Arab Emirates, a critical partner in the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, that procedures in place to attempt extraction of captured personnel was flawed, CNN learned Wednesday.
For that reason, the UAE suspended its participation in airstrikes since December because its leaders were worried that the search and rescue plan had operations based too far away from fighting zones in Iraq and Syria, a senior U.S. military official told CNN.
CNN reached out to the UAE government about that, and a representative said no comment would be offered.
But the pilot’s murder has emboldened Jordan, also a pivotal partner. Jordan’s military is seeking to conduct more of the anti-ISIS airstrikes assigned by the coalition, a U.S. official told CNN. The number of strikes Jordan can carry out will depend on the location of the targets, weather and other factors, the official said.
Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani vowed “an earthshaking retaliation” and “a revenge that equals the tragedy that has befallen the Jordanians.” But the executions of the two prisoners with ties to al Qaeda in Iraq, a precursor to ISIS, came more quickly than some observers had expected.
In previous public messages, ISIS had linked al-Rishawi to the fates of the Jordanian pilot and Kenji Goto, a Japanese hostage whose killing the militant group publicized over the weekend.
Jordan last week said it was willing to release al-Rishawi in exchange for al-Kasasbeh, but the swap never happened. The Jordanian government repeatedly asked ISIS to show proof that the pilot was still alive.
Shortly after the video of al-Kasasbeh’s killing became public, Jordanian military spokesman Mamdouh Al Amri said authorities believed the pilot had been killed as far back as January 3, before ISIS began making its public demands for the release of al-Rishawi.
Killing on big screens?
In Raqqa, the militant group was apparently making a big show of the grisly killing of the pilot. An activist network, “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently,” reported that the video of the pilot’s murder was being repeatedly projected on large viewing screens across the city.
One of ISIS’ propaganda production outlets posted a video online that appears to show a crowd cheering as flames around the pilot grow. The video features a tight shot of a young boy, looking up as if in awe and saying that he would “burn the pilot” himself if he had a chance and “All Arab tyrants should also be burned.” The boy can also be heard saying “Obama the dog.”
Because the video is carefully orchestrated propaganda, CNN has no way to know if people in Raqqa really feel this way, if other children were present or whether the video participants’ responses were authentic or a result of intimidation.
There are anti-ISIS activists inside Raqqa who operate very quietly. One of them told CNN on Wednesday that on January 8, he was standing in the street when several ISIS fighters approached, bragging that they had set the pilot on fire. Other ISIS members acted impressed but dubious, and a disturbingly juvenile moment ensued in which the ISIS fighters making the claim said that it was true, they were there and saw it.
ISIS brutality gone too far?
The 22-minute ISIS execution video released Tuesday begins by pointing the finger at King Abdullah, suggesting he is to blame for what happened to the pilot. But analysts have predicted the brutality of the video would actually hurt ISIS.
“I think there’s likely to be a backlash, particularly in Jordan,” said Paul Cruickshank, a CNN terrorism analyst. “I think it’s sort of going to rally support for King Abdullah and his participation in the anti-ISIS coalition.”
ISIS is known to be holding at least two Western hostages still: John Cantlie, a British journalist who has appeared in a number of ISIS-produced videos, and an American woman who is a 26-year-old aid worker.
“People in Jordan are not interested in fighting for America in the Middle East. America is not popular in Jordan,” said CNN political commentator Peter Beinart. “But when you see a handsome Jordanian pilot from a powerful Jordanian tribe humiliated and burned to death, I think it makes the politics for the King of Jordan much, much easier for him to be involved in this coalition.”
A video unlike others
ISIS has recorded the deaths of its captives before, then circulated the gruesome footage online as propaganda. What makes the Jordanian pilot’s case different is that he hailed from a Middle Eastern nation taking part in the anti-ISIS military coalition.
The manner of execution also is different. In previous ISIS videos, captives were shown beheaded. A masked man with a London accent has appeared in at least six videos, standing near hostages.
Sometimes, ISIS has made threats over whom it will kill next.
At the end of its latest video, ISIS shows names and addresses of people who it says are Jordanian pilots. A reward is offered, and a voice says they are “wanted dead.”
“I think they’re sending a clear message to the Arab members of the coalition, and certainly Sunni Muslims who may be engaged in the fight against ISIS, that this is the way they’re going to be treated,” said Juan Zarate, a former U.S. deputy national security adviser. “They’re going to be treated brutally, and in fact, maybe perhaps more brutally than other members of the coalition.”