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Jordan's response to IS' killing of pilot will be harsh: king

Xinhua, February 5, 2015 Adjust font size:

King Abdullah II of Jordan on Wednesday said Jordan's response to the killing of the Jordanian pilot by the Islamic State (IS) group will be harsh, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

At a meeting with top officers of the Jordan Armed Forces, the king said the IS terrorist organization is fighting not only Jordan but also Islam and its noble values. He stressed that Jordan is engaged in this war to protect Islam and its values.

Earlier on Wednesday, Jordan's Lower House condemned the killing as a heinous crime of terrorism and said it's confident that the Jordanian army can avenge the killed Jordanian pilot.

At dawn on Wednesday, Jordan hanged two Iraqi prisoners who were affiliated to the IS, after the militant group burnt the Jordanian pilot alive, Petra reported.

One of the prisoners was Sajida Rishawi, an Iraqi woman who failed to detonate a belt of explosives on her in Amman in 2005. Rishawi, who had a close relation to the founder of the IS, Abu Musab Zarqawi, was on the death row.

The other hanged prisoner was Ziad Karbuli, an Iraqi who was close to the IS and convicted of terrorist acts in 2007.

The executions followed a video by the IS, in which the Jordanian pilot, who was captured by the group after his fighter jet crashed in Raqqah over Syria, was burnt alive in a cage.

Jordan's political parties have condemned the killing of the pilot, labeling as a martyr and a hero. Several activists have also planned for a demonstration on Friday against his death.

In a video released on Jan. 24, the IS demanded the release of Rishawi, saying they would kill the pilot and the Japanese hostage, Kenji Goto, if she was not released.

Jordan then demanded proof that the pilot was still alive, but the IS did not provide any. On Sunday, the IS showed a video of beheading Goto. Endit