Jordanian pilot’s fate unclear as Daesh executes Japanese

Cairo: The fate of a Jordanian pilot held by Daesh militants was unclear on Sunday, hours after an online video purported to show the militant group beheading a Japanese hostage.

No mention was made in the video released Saturday night of Muath Al Kasasbeh, who was captured in December when his fighter jet crashed near a Daesh stronghold in Syria.

The pilot’s father, Safi Al Kasasbeh, called on Jordanian authorities to secure the safe release of his son while adding, “We know nothing about his fate.”

“I appeal to the king and the government to work harder and quickly to liberate him,” he was quoted as saying by the Dubai-based broadcaster Al Arabiya.

A spokesperson for the Jordanian government, Mohammad Al Mumani, said authorities were seeking the 26-year-old airman’s freedom.

“Jordan with all its agencies continue their efforts to get proof that the Jordanian pilot is safe, alive and to guarantee his release and return to Jordan,” Al Mumani said in a statement without elaborating.

Jordan is part of a US-led coalition that has carried out airstrikes since September against Daesh targets in Syria, where the radical group controls considerable territory.

Amman have been under immense pressure at home in recent weeks to free Al Kasasbesh and bring him back to Jordan.

It has offered to swap an Al Qaida prisoner, Sajida Al Rishawi, for Al Kasasbeh but demanded proof the pilot is still alive.

In an audio recording released earlier last week, Daesh said Jordan had until sunset on Thursday to release Al Rishawi or Al Kasasbeh and Goto would be killed.

Al Rishawi, an Iraqi national, has been sentenced to death for taking part in the 2005 bombings that killed dozens of people in Jordan.