Moaz al-Kasasbeh
A man purported to be Islamic State captive Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh is seen standing in a cage in this still image from an undated video filmed from an undisclosed location made available on social media on February 3, 2015. Islamic State militants released the video on Tuesday purporting to show Kasaesbeh being burnt alive, and Jordanian state television said he was murdered a month ago. Reuters could not immediately confirm the video, which showed a man resembling the captive pilot standing in a black cage before being set ablaze. Reuters

Jordan made good on Wednesday its threat to execute two prisoners linked with extremist terror groups as retaliation for the burning alive of pilot 1st Lieutenant Moaz al-Kasasbeh.

It hanged Sajida al-Rishawi, the female suicide bomber, who caused deaths of Jordanians in an Amman hotel despite her explosives failing, and Ziad Karboul, the former top aide of al-Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The father of the burnt pilot, Safi, called on the Jordanian government to go beyond the two prisoners and execute all detainees linked with the Islamic State (ISIS) to annihilate the terror group.

“Those criminals cannot be compared to Moath … Moath’s blood is much more valued than these two prisoners,” Fox quotes Safi.

Jordanians rallied behind the government action by holding demonstrations in Amman, the capital city, and the hometown of al-Kasasbeh to seek more prisoner executions.

The support contrasts with the attitude of some Jordanians in the past who believe they should not join the US-led coalition in battling the terror group through air strikes. In 2014, some residents of Maan City even raised IS flags as their way of protesting the perception that the government is ignoring people in the south who live in poverty, while the nation spends so much supporting the coalition airstrikes.

Jordanian King Abdullah, who cut his US visit because of the confirmation of the pilot’s death, said the IS “is a cowardly and deviant group that has nothing to do with Islam.”

The country was willing to trade al-Rashawi with al-Kasasbeh as proposed by IS in exchange for not executing Japanese hostage Kenji Goto. Jordan asked for proof that the pilot was still alive and IS could not prove it because it has burnt al-Kasasbeh, although the video released by IS did not indicate when did the burning occur.

With recent developments, the Jordanian government vowed there would be “earthshaking retaliation” on the terror organisation.

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au

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