WASHINGTON — The U.S.-led fight against the Islamic State became even more complicated Tuesday, after a video posted online indicated that the militant group had killed a Jordanian pilot taking part in that fight.
The video appeared to depict the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, being burned alive by Islamic State militants. Al-Kaseasbah was taken captive on Dec. 24, 2014, after his jet went down during a bombing mission over Syria. His country is one of the U.S.’s high-profile Arab partners in the international military campaign against the Islamic State.
Washington was quick to respond to the news, with President Barack Obama proclaiming that it would only strengthen the coalition’s determination to combat the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. But in a troubling signal for the coalition, Jordan watchers have suggested in recent days that the pilot’s case was exacerbating internal divisions within the country about the Arab nation’s participation in the anti-ISIS campaign.
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“If anything, it’ll unite a coalition against ISIS,” she added. “The brutality is unprecedented.”
Nazer told HuffPost that power brokers in Jordan’s partner nations were indicating that they expected the kingdom to bring its citizens together and redouble its efforts against the militants. Prominent Arabs from neighboring powers like Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Nazer said, were signaling on social media that the execution was “the last straw and that it was time to launch an all-out war against ISIS.”
Media reports suggested that Jordan’s immediate response would be to counter violence with violence and exact a swift revenge. A Jordanian security source told Reuters Tuesday his country would quickly execute the jailed Iraqi bomber, whose release the Islamic State has attempted to negotiate, and other prisoners on death row for terrorism-related charges.
