A Jordanian fighter pilot was taken hostage in Syria by Islamic State terrorists after his plane went down during a mission over the war-torn country — the first time a member of the coalition has been captured.
The pilot, identified as Moath al-Kasassbeh, 27, was shown wearing a white shirt, naked from the waist down and sopping wet, being pulled by gunmen out of a lake.
The F-16 fighter crashed near the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic militants, and the pilot was able to eject.
The savage militants claimed they used an anti-aircraft missile to shoot the warplane down. But U.S. military officials said that’s a lie.
“Evidence clearly indicates that ISIL did not down the aircraft as the terrorist organization is claiming,” American military command said in a statement, using another acronym for the Islamic State.
Hassan al-Kasassbeh, the pilot’s cousin, told Bloomberg News: “He’s a lively, modest and devout person. We’re still in shock.”
Islamic State fighters are known to have Russian-made Igla anti-aircraft missiles, which have long been in the Syrian and Iraqi government batteries. Those weapons were used in the 1991 Gulf War by Iraqi forces to shoot down a British Tornado jet.
Jordan is part of a U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Wednesday’s crashed plane is the first lost since the aggressive air campaign began in September.
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are major players in the coalition, with Qatar providing logistical support. Jordan in particular has come under heavy criticism from the extremists for its participation.
The insurgents have beheaded dozens of Syrian soldiers, three Americans and two Britons. In Iraq, it has shot down at least one Iraqi military helicopter, killing the pilots in the crash.
With News Wire Services
