ISIS shoots down Jordanian fighter plane, captures pilot Muadh Yusuf
Sunni Muslim militants of Islamic State (IS) have captured a Jordanian jet pilot, whose warplane was reportedly shot down over the jihadists’ stronghold in the eastern Syrian province of Raqqa.
The plane crash was first reported by the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and then the Jordanian military confirmed one of its pilots had been captured during coalition airstrikes on IS-held territory.
The Jordanian army told IS it is responsible for the pilot’s wellbeing.
“It is well known that this organization [IS] does not hide its terrorist schemes, where many of the criminal acts of destruction and killing [target] innocent Muslims and non-Muslims in Syria and Iraq. Jordan holds the group and its supporters responsible for the safety of the pilot and his life,” the statement reads.
A series of pictures showing cheering armed terrorists carrying a man wearing nothing but a white shirt have surfaced online in the wake of the crash.
طيار أردني لم يجد إﻻ مياه الرقة ليستمتع بالسباحة و اﻵن ستداعبه سكين الزرقاوي .. هنيئآ مريئآ pic.twitter.com/dht5BiTUhK
— السلطان سنجر ✒ (@Alsultansinjer2) December 24, 2014
The man is allegedly a Jordanian Air Force pilot, Muadh Yusuf.
IS claims to have shot his plane down with an anti-aircraft missile. If confirmed, it would be the first coalition fighter jet to be shot down by militants in the region following months of airstrikes.
Images of the downed jet have been published on social media.
#ISIS has published pictures of the debris of the Jordanian plane downed in Raqa #Syria#Jordanpic.twitter.com/cWSnESFUX0
— Ezzedine Said (@ezzsaid) December 24, 2014