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Jordanian pilot Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh

Captive Jordanian pilot: IS will kill me

In purported interview with Islamic State, 26-year-old pilot captured last week explains how he was shot down in Syria, says flight mission was coordinated with US base in Qatar.

The Islamic State published on Monday a purported interview with the Jordanian pilot captured last week after his plane crashed in northern Syria. In his statements in the extremist group's monthly English-language magazine, First Lieutenant Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh explained how his plane was shot down while he was flying a mission for the US-led coalition, and said he was aware of his fate at the hands of his captors.

 

 

"We took off to Iraq from Muwaffaq al-Salti Air Base – in the city of al-Azraq in Zarqā’ Governorate – at 6:15 AM," the 26-year old pilot said.

 

First Lieutenant Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh
First Lieutenant Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh

 

"We received aerial refueling at 7:55, then went to the waiting area where we were met up by a party consisting of Saudi F15s, Emirati F16s, and Moroccan F16s. We entered the region of arRaqqah to sweep the area, then the striker jets entered to begin their attack. My plane was struck by a heat-seeking missile. I heard and felt its hit," al-Kaseasbeh explained.

 

Upon being asked if he had "met the American crusaders", al-Kaseasbeh responded "of course" and shared information about the soldiers stationed at the Royal Jordanian Air Force located in Azraq: "There are around 200 Americans in Muwaffaq al-Salti Air Base. Amongst them, there are about 16 US pilots, one of which is female, with the remainder of the 200 serving as technicians, engineers, and in other support roles.

 

"The Americans sometimes have dinner with us and eat mansaf, which they like a lot. Their talk does not include details about operations because of matters of secrecy and security," he added.

 

Wreckage of Jordanian airplane
Wreckage of Jordanian airplane
 

First Lieutenant al-Kasaesbah was born in 1988 and lived in the city of Al Karak south of Amman. In 2006, he began his studies at the Royal Jordanian Air Force Academy. Al-Kasaesbah completed his studies in 2009 and joined the Jordanian Air Force. Before his summer wedding, he made pilgrimage to Mecca and then joined the coalition against the Islamic State.

 

Towards the end of the interview, al-Kasaesbah was asked whether he had seen videos of executions of captured enemy fighters, to which he responded: "No, I haven't."

 

The interview is concluded with the question: "Do you know what the Islamic State will do with you?"

To which he responds: " Yes… They will kill me…"


Islamic State takes the Jordanian pilot captive (Photo: EPA) (Photo: EPA)
Islamic State takes the Jordanian pilot captive (Photo: EPA)

 

Reports of al-Kasaesbah's capture were spread around the world and among social networks on Wednesday. "We are all Muath al-Kasaesbah" became a popular hash tag on Twitter on Wednesday evening – initiated by many Jordanians who fear for the pilot's fate.

 

Al-Kasaesbah married last summer and only finished flight school in recent months. His father, Youssef, urged the public to support the family. "I pray that Allah will plant mercy in their hearts and they will release him."

 

"He believed he needed to join the attacks against Daesh in order to protect innocent people from the tragedies they cause them," said one of the captured pilot's brothers.

 

The United States has denied that IS shot down the Jordanian aircraft. The head of the US military's Central Command, Gen. Lloyd Austin, said the US will not tolerate IS's "attempts to misrepresent or exploit this unfortunate aircraft crash for their own purposes."

 

Associated Press and Roi Kais contributed to this report.

 


פרסום ראשון: 12.30.14, 10:33
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