Smoke Rises Over Syrian Town Of Kobani After An Airstrike
A man suspected of helping three British schoolgirls join ISIS in Syria has been arrested in Turkey. Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu revealed that the man was an intelligence agent working for a coalition member country. IN PHOTO: Smoke rises over Syrian town of Kobani after an airstrike, as seen from the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province, October 18, 2014. Reutes/Kai Pfaffenbach

ISIS supporters took to Twitter to ask for suggestions on how to kill the Jordanian pilot the group reportedly captured following airstrikes. Advice ranging from decapitation to burning the pilot alive was seen on social media with the hashtag "suggestawaytokilltheJordanianPilotPig."

According to Vocativ, the hashtag was shared more than 1,000 times but it was still unclear who started the online campaign. ISIS militants have reportedly taken a Jordanian pilot captive after his fighter plane crashed in Syria during an airstrike campaign against the militants last week. The pilot is the first foreign member of the military to have been taken by militants since the U.S.-led coalition launched airstrikes against ISIS.

The Huffington Post reported that images of the Jordanian pilot being removed from the lake and taken away by masked militant presented a potential hostage situation for Jordan highlighted the risks for military forces in the air campaign. Jordan has previously promised to join the fight against ISIS ever since the terror group seized large swaths of Syria and Iraq and beheaded foreign hostages.

According to the report, the cause of the plane crash was not known immediately but the U.S. military has denied rumours that the aircraft was shot down. Central Command said in a statement that there was no evidence that ISIS shot down the plane contrary to what the militants claimed. U.S. Army Gen. Lloyd Austin III had condemned the capture of the Jordanian pilot and said he will support efforts to rescue him. He added that the coalition does not tolerate the attempts of ISIS to exploit the plane crash for their own benefit.

A coalition official who asked to remain anonymous since he was not authorised to speak about the incident publicly revealed that the pilot was able to eject from his F-16 fighter jet. The AP was told earlier by Jordanian Information Minister Mohammad Momani that the plane was shot down because of fire from the ground. However, the minister said it was difficult to confirm the information at that time.

Previous reports have indicated that ISIS has acquired Russian-made weapons like Igla anti-aircraft missiles. The weapon, which can be fired from the shoulder, has long been a part of Syrian and Iraqi defences. Several media reports have alluded that ISIS militants may have used the same weapon against the Jordanian pilot.

Jordan had identified the pilot as Mu'ath Safi al-Kaseasbeh whose cousin has confirmed with AP that the images of the captured pilot were photos of his relative. The pilot was captured before Dec. 25 when his plane had crashed near the Syrian city of Raqqa. His family has been urging ISIS militants to release him, reports said.

RELATED STORIES