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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Jordan committed to anti-Daesh coalition despite hostage drama | |
| 2015-02-02 | |
| Amman - Jordan remains “as committed as ever” to a US-led military coalition against the Daesh group, the kingdom’s foreign minister said on Sunday, amid heightened fears for the life of a Jordanian fighter pilot held by the militants. Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh spoke a day after another Daesh hostage, Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, was purportedly beheaded by the militants. The fate of the two captives had been linked but a video of Goto’s purported slaying made no mention of the pilot. The killing of 47-year-old Goto shocked Japan which until now had not been directly embroiled in the battle against extremists. “I feel indignation over this immoral and heinous act of terrorism,” said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In a phone call with Abe, Jordan’s King Abdullah II condemned the killing as a “criminal act.” Japan responded to new threats from the militants by ordering tighter security at airports and at Japanese facilities overseas, including embassies and schools. Japan said it would not budge from its non-military support for fighting terrorism.
The Daesh group demanded her release last week, and in response Jordan offered to swap her for the pilot. But the militants didn’t say at the time if they were considering such a deal. An audio message last week, purportedly from the militant group, only said the pilot would be killed if Al Rishawi was not released on Thursday. That deadline passed, with Al Rishawi remaining in custody, after Jordan said it cannot free her without proof that the pilot is alive. Government spokesman Mohammed Al Momani said on Sunday that “we are still ready to hand over” Al Rishawi in return for the pilot. However, Judeh, the foreign minister, said that “so far, we have seen no proof of life, which we have been asking for.” Al Kaseasbeh, 26, fell into the hands of the militants in December when his F-16 crashed near Raqqa, Syria. His capture has left Jordan with tough choices. Jordan’s king has portrayed the campaign against the extremists as a battle over values. In a statement carried by the official news agency Petra on Sunday, he called for “concerted international efforts against terrorism and extremism.” | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #1 That deadline passed, with Al Rishawi remaining in custody, after Jordan said it cannot free her without proof that the pilot is alive. Open source also sez that Jordan sent a message that they would execute Al Rishawi and other prisoners if the pilot was killed. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2015-02-02 18:31 |