AMMAN, Jordan, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Jordan announced the capture of a pilot would not affect its place in the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, as an effort to secure his release was begun.
1st Lt. Muath al-Kassasbeh was the first coalition fighter taken prisoner Wednesday when his F-16 fighter plane went down during a bombing run over Raqqa, Syria. The coalition has engaged IS forces in Syria and Iraq since August, and the United States denied a claim by an IS-affiliated media center in Raqqa that the plane was shot down.
The incident will not deter Jordan from its national duty to fight terrorism," said Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Momani. "Jordanian soldiers are known for the sacrifices they made in the past and for their patriotism. We have made sacrifices in the past, and will continue to do so for the sake of our country. Jordan is investing all its political, diplomatic and military contacts with regional and international allies at all levels in order to help rescue the pilot who was taken hostage."
The government has otherwise kept silent on issues regarding the cause of the crash and the attempt to release the hostage.
"Evidence clearly indicates that ISIL (Islamic State) didn't down the aircraft as the terrorist organization is claiming," the U.S. Central Command said.
The government of King Abdullah was described as in "crisis mode" as it attempts the return of the pilot and justifies Jordan's role in the coalition to its population, the Christian Science Monitor reported Friday. Officials are concerned that a swap of the pilot for Ziyad Al Karbouli and Sajida Rishawi, which IS has demanded, would damage Jordan's hardline image regarding terrorism and would violate its longstanding policy of refusing negotiations with terrorists.
Al Karbouli is an IS member and former al-Qaida lieutenant in Iraq. Rishawi led a 2005 bombing of an Amman, Jordan, hotel which killed over 60 dead, mostly attendees of a wedding reception.
