Jordan vows to avenge pilot's death, as IS 'execution' video emerges

4 February 2015 Frank Gardner – BBC MidEast

Jordan has vowed to avenge the killing of its air force pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh by Islamic State (IS) militants.

This comes after an IS video appeared to show him being burned alive. Jordan confirmed the death, although the video's authenticity is being checked. Officials told reporters a convicted jihadist Jordan had tried to exchange for the pilot would be executed. The 26-year-old pilot was seized when his plane came down in Syria in December during a mission against IS. Mamdouh al-Ameri, a spokesman for the Jordanian armed forces, said on Tuesday that Lt Kasasbeh had "fallen as a martyr". "His blood will not be shed in vain. Our punishment and revenge will be as huge as the loss of the Jordanians." Jordan's King Abdullah: "It is every Jordanian's duty to stand together" The army also promised an "earth-shattering" response to his death.

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