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| Islamic State video purports to show captured pilot being burned to death | Islamic State video purports to show captured pilot being burned to death |
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| AMMAN, Jordan — The Islamic State released a video Tuesday that shows its fighters burning alive a Jordanian pilot who was captured in December by the extremist group after his plane crashed during a U.S.-led bombing run over Syria. | AMMAN, Jordan — The Islamic State released a video Tuesday that shows its fighters burning alive a Jordanian pilot who was captured in December by the extremist group after his plane crashed during a U.S.-led bombing run over Syria. |
| The death of Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh ends weeks of attempts to learn his fate as part of Jordanian offers of a swap: Kaseasbeh and a Japanese journalist held by the Islamic State in exchange for a would-be suicide bomber jailed in Jordan for a role in a deadly attack nearly a decade ago. | The death of Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh ends weeks of attempts to learn his fate as part of Jordanian offers of a swap: Kaseasbeh and a Japanese journalist held by the Islamic State in exchange for a would-be suicide bomber jailed in Jordan for a role in a deadly attack nearly a decade ago. |
| A video released Sunday showed the beheading of the Japanese reporter, Kenji Goto. But the Jordanian Armed Forces issued a statement saying that the 26-year-old Kaseasbeh was killed a month ago on Jan. 3 — without giving details on how it determined the timing. | A video released Sunday showed the beheading of the Japanese reporter, Kenji Goto. But the Jordanian Armed Forces issued a statement saying that the 26-year-old Kaseasbeh was killed a month ago on Jan. 3 — without giving details on how it determined the timing. |
| [Read: The failure of Jordan’s ‘prisoner swap’ with the Islamic State] | [Read: The failure of Jordan’s ‘prisoner swap’ with the Islamic State] |
| The military denounced the Islamic State as a “terror group” and vowed “punishment and revenge.” | The military denounced the Islamic State as a “terror group” and vowed “punishment and revenge.” |
| Relatives of the slain pilot left their homes in Amman and rushed to their tribal center in Karak, south of the capital. | Relatives of the slain pilot left their homes in Amman and rushed to their tribal center in Karak, south of the capital. |
| Members of Jordanian public, via social media sites and radio call-in shows, demanded the immediate execution of jihadists with ties to the Islamic State who are being held in Jordanian prisons. | Members of Jordanian public, via social media sites and radio call-in shows, demanded the immediate execution of jihadists with ties to the Islamic State who are being held in Jordanian prisons. |
| Among those being held by Jordan is Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman convicted of a role in hotel bombings that killed 60 people in Amman in 2005. | Among those being held by Jordan is Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman convicted of a role in hotel bombings that killed 60 people in Amman in 2005. |
| News agencies reported that Jordan would hang six prisoners, including Rishawi, as soon as dawn Wednesday, but there was no immediate official confirmation. | News agencies reported that Jordan would hang six prisoners, including Rishawi, as soon as dawn Wednesday, but there was no immediate official confirmation. |
| According to the SITE monitoring group, which follows militant Web sites, the 22-minute Islamic State video, titled “Healing of the Believers’ Chests,” was released on social media. | According to the SITE monitoring group, which follows militant Web sites, the 22-minute Islamic State video, titled “Healing of the Believers’ Chests,” was released on social media. |
| Shortly after the video appeared online, Jordanian state TV reported that the pilot was killed on Jan. 3. It gave no further details on how it determined the date, which suggested that the Islamic State was playing a duplicitous game when it warned last week that Kaseasbeh “will be killed immediately” if Jordan did not swap Rishawi for Goto by sunset on Jan. 29. | |
| Jordanian officials demanded as recently as earlier this week that the Islamic State provide proof that the pilot was still alive as a condition for negotiating a prisoner exchange. | Jordanian officials demanded as recently as earlier this week that the Islamic State provide proof that the pilot was still alive as a condition for negotiating a prisoner exchange. |
| The killing appears to mark an effort by the Islamic State, a radical al-Qaeda offshoot also known as ISIS or ISIL, to present increasingly gruesome acts. Previously, the group decapitated its captives and then showed the head sitting on top of the body. Execution by decapitation in the Arab world, especially in Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, is not uncommon. | The killing appears to mark an effort by the Islamic State, a radical al-Qaeda offshoot also known as ISIS or ISIL, to present increasingly gruesome acts. Previously, the group decapitated its captives and then showed the head sitting on top of the body. Execution by decapitation in the Arab world, especially in Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally, is not uncommon. |
| Burning the pilot to death represents a stunning escalation. | Burning the pilot to death represents a stunning escalation. |
| In Washington, U.S. officials from President Obama on down expressed outrage and disgust at the barbarity of the new killing. But while Obama said that the United States and its coalition partners would “redouble” their determination to defeat the Islamic State, U.S. officials said that did not portend any expansion or change in the current strategy. | In Washington, U.S. officials from President Obama on down expressed outrage and disgust at the barbarity of the new killing. But while Obama said that the United States and its coalition partners would “redouble” their determination to defeat the Islamic State, U.S. officials said that did not portend any expansion or change in the current strategy. |
| Obama called the video “just one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity” of the Islamic State. “And it I think will redouble the vigilance and determination on the part of a global coalition to make sure that they are degraded and ultimately defeated.” The video also “just indicates the degree to which whatever ideology they’re operating off of, it’s bankrupt,” Obama told reporters. | Obama called the video “just one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity” of the Islamic State. “And it I think will redouble the vigilance and determination on the part of a global coalition to make sure that they are degraded and ultimately defeated.” The video also “just indicates the degree to which whatever ideology they’re operating off of, it’s bankrupt,” Obama told reporters. |
| Hours earlier, before the release of the video, Secretary of State John F. Kerry met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the country’s foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, as part of a visit to sign a deal for further U.S. aid to Jordan. | Hours earlier, before the release of the video, Secretary of State John F. Kerry met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and the country’s foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, as part of a visit to sign a deal for further U.S. aid to Jordan. |
| A Jordanian government official in Washington subsequently confirmed that Abdullah would cut short his visit to the United States and return immediately to Amman. | A Jordanian government official in Washington subsequently confirmed that Abdullah would cut short his visit to the United States and return immediately to Amman. |
| [Read: The Islamic State was dumped by al-Qaeda a year ago. Look where it is now.] | [Read: The Islamic State was dumped by al-Qaeda a year ago. Look where it is now.] |
| A Pentagon spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby, vowed that the United States and its coalition partners would continue their campaign of airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. | A Pentagon spokesman, Rear Adm. John Kirby, vowed that the United States and its coalition partners would continue their campaign of airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. |
| “We’re going to remain committed to this . . . and there’s not going to be any loss of focus,” Kirby said at a news briefing. “It only makes it that much more important for us to succeed.” | “We’re going to remain committed to this . . . and there’s not going to be any loss of focus,” Kirby said at a news briefing. “It only makes it that much more important for us to succeed.” |
| The latest killings “bring into stark relief just how despicable these people are,” Kirby said. “These aren’t the acts of a winner, and they’re not winning.” He added that burning the pilot alive “has the potential to backfire on them . . . in the region.” | The latest killings “bring into stark relief just how despicable these people are,” Kirby said. “These aren’t the acts of a winner, and they’re not winning.” He added that burning the pilot alive “has the potential to backfire on them . . . in the region.” |
| As a result of the coalition campaign, Islamic State fighters now are “largely in a defensive posture,” Kirby said. “They aren’t taking new ground.” | As a result of the coalition campaign, Islamic State fighters now are “largely in a defensive posture,” Kirby said. “They aren’t taking new ground.” |
| Despite earlier calls in Jordan to reduce participation in the coalition, U.S. officials indicated a hope that Kaseasbeh’s brutal murder would increase Arab commitment and undercut the Islamic State’s appeal to disaffected Muslim youth around the world. In their public statements, several top U.S. officials mentioned the pilot’s religion. | Despite earlier calls in Jordan to reduce participation in the coalition, U.S. officials indicated a hope that Kaseasbeh’s brutal murder would increase Arab commitment and undercut the Islamic State’s appeal to disaffected Muslim youth around the world. In their public statements, several top U.S. officials mentioned the pilot’s religion. |
| “That a young patriot — a devout Muslim, one of eight children, just months into married life, with hopes of his own family in front of him — would be ISIL’s latest victim reminds us all of the evil of this enemy,” Kerry said in a statement. Kerry praised Arab pilots from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates “who have flown with courage and skill” in airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria. | “That a young patriot — a devout Muslim, one of eight children, just months into married life, with hopes of his own family in front of him — would be ISIL’s latest victim reminds us all of the evil of this enemy,” Kerry said in a statement. Kerry praised Arab pilots from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates “who have flown with courage and skill” in airstrikes against the Islamic State in Syria. |
| The Islamic State released a video over the weekend that showed the beheading of Goto, the Japanese journalist. | The Islamic State released a video over the weekend that showed the beheading of Goto, the Japanese journalist. |
| The video did not mention Kaseasbeh’s fate. However, the Islamic State had previously said it would kill both Kaseasbeh and Goto if Jordan failed to meet a deadline last Thursday to release Rishawi. | The video did not mention Kaseasbeh’s fate. However, the Islamic State had previously said it would kill both Kaseasbeh and Goto if Jordan failed to meet a deadline last Thursday to release Rishawi. |
| The pilot was captured by the Islamic State in December after his plane crashed in Syria during a bombing run. Although the Islamic State claimed it shot down his plane, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Lisa Brackenbury, a Central Command spokeswoman, said in December that “this was an aircraft crash and not the result of enemy action.” | The pilot was captured by the Islamic State in December after his plane crashed in Syria during a bombing run. Although the Islamic State claimed it shot down his plane, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Lisa Brackenbury, a Central Command spokeswoman, said in December that “this was an aircraft crash and not the result of enemy action.” |
| Late last year, the Islamic State posted social media images of Kaseasbeh surrounded by masked militants, as his captors pulled him from a body of water. | Late last year, the Islamic State posted social media images of Kaseasbeh surrounded by masked militants, as his captors pulled him from a body of water. |
| According to SITE, the video shows “media footage of Jordan’s involvement in the U.S.-led coalition” against the Islamic State. Then, the video shows Kaseasbeh, with a black eye, “discussing Jordan’s operation in a news-style monologue.” The video then juxtaposes images of the pilot surrounded by militants, and images of the aftermath of bombings. | According to SITE, the video shows “media footage of Jordan’s involvement in the U.S.-led coalition” against the Islamic State. Then, the video shows Kaseasbeh, with a black eye, “discussing Jordan’s operation in a news-style monologue.” The video then juxtaposes images of the pilot surrounded by militants, and images of the aftermath of bombings. |
| The pilot is doused with a flammable liquid, and a masked militant lights a line of fuel leading to him as he stands in an outdoor cage. | The pilot is doused with a flammable liquid, and a masked militant lights a line of fuel leading to him as he stands in an outdoor cage. |
| “At the end of the video, [Kaseasbeh] . . . is burned alive by fighters,” SITE writes. | “At the end of the video, [Kaseasbeh] . . . is burned alive by fighters,” SITE writes. |
| Reuters reported that the head of Jordan’s armed forces personally notified Kaseasbeh’s family of the pilot’s death. | Reuters reported that the head of Jordan’s armed forces personally notified Kaseasbeh’s family of the pilot’s death. |
| The killing risks undermining a U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, which has seized large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. | The killing risks undermining a U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, which has seized large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria. |
| Jordan has absorbed a flood of refugees fleeing the militants from the civil war in Syria and the uprisings in Iraq. Jordan’s air force and intelligence agencies are active, public partners in the U.S. coalition against the Islamic State. | Jordan has absorbed a flood of refugees fleeing the militants from the civil war in Syria and the uprisings in Iraq. Jordan’s air force and intelligence agencies are active, public partners in the U.S. coalition against the Islamic State. |
| [Read full story: The Islamic State is failing at being a state] | [Read full story: The Islamic State is failing at being a state] |
| The capture of the Jordanian pilot, however, sparked an antiwar movement calling for Amman to pull out of the coalition. Kaseasbeh is from a large and influential tribe centered in Karak, a province south of Amman, and his people have been staging protests in front of government buildings. The demonstrators have stressed not only the pilot’s capture, but the growing number of Syrian civilians caught in the bombings. | The capture of the Jordanian pilot, however, sparked an antiwar movement calling for Amman to pull out of the coalition. Kaseasbeh is from a large and influential tribe centered in Karak, a province south of Amman, and his people have been staging protests in front of government buildings. The demonstrators have stressed not only the pilot’s capture, but the growing number of Syrian civilians caught in the bombings. |
| The Jordanian government said last week it was prepared to swap a prisoner sentenced to death for her role in the Amman hotel bombings for the Jordanian pilot. | The Jordanian government said last week it was prepared to swap a prisoner sentenced to death for her role in the Amman hotel bombings for the Jordanian pilot. |
| Jordan’s sensational offer to free the suicide bomber, an Iraqi whose device failed to explode, illustrated the tremendous pressure that King Abdullah and his government have faced over the pilot’s capture. | Jordan’s sensational offer to free the suicide bomber, an Iraqi whose device failed to explode, illustrated the tremendous pressure that King Abdullah and his government have faced over the pilot’s capture. |
| Last week, Jordanian Foreign Minister Judeh said his government insisted that the Islamic State offer “proof of life” that the pilot was alive before they released the Iraqi woman, who is serving a sentence on death row. | Last week, Jordanian Foreign Minister Judeh said his government insisted that the Islamic State offer “proof of life” that the pilot was alive before they released the Iraqi woman, who is serving a sentence on death row. |
| Judeh tweeted last week: “Unfortunately we have heard nothing.” | Judeh tweeted last week: “Unfortunately we have heard nothing.” |
| As the deal appeared to fall apart last week, the Islamic State released an audio recording during the stalled negotiations threatening to kill the pilot. | As the deal appeared to fall apart last week, the Islamic State released an audio recording during the stalled negotiations threatening to kill the pilot. |
| The Jordan pilot’s release was being sought at the same time that diplomats and families pleaded for the lives of two Japanese hostages, a journalist and an adventurer, both of whom were subsequently beheaded by the Islamic State. | The Jordan pilot’s release was being sought at the same time that diplomats and families pleaded for the lives of two Japanese hostages, a journalist and an adventurer, both of whom were subsequently beheaded by the Islamic State. |
| Booth reported from Jerusalem. William Branigin, Abby Ohlheiser, Brian Murphy and Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report. | Booth reported from Jerusalem. William Branigin, Abby Ohlheiser, Brian Murphy and Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report. |
| Related stories on the Islamic State: | Related stories on the Islamic State: |
| - The Islamic State is failing at being a state | - The Islamic State is failing at being a state |
| - Jordan demands proof captured pilot is alive as Islamic State deadline passes | - Jordan demands proof captured pilot is alive as Islamic State deadline passes |
| - The Islamic State and its war against history | - The Islamic State and its war against history |
| - What led to the Islamic State’s terrifying rise | - What led to the Islamic State’s terrifying rise |
| - Map: How the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria has surged since October | - Map: How the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria has surged since October |