1st LD: White House cautious in comments on Jordan's tit-for-tat execution

The White House was cautious on Wednesday in its comments on the Jordanian government's retaliatory execution of two Iraqi extremists after the Islamic State (IS) released a video purporting to show IS burning alive a Jordanian pilot hostage.

"These were individuals who were sentenced to death and were serving time on death row," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest at the daily briefing. "For questions about the circumstance of their confinement or the decision to move forward on the execution, I'd refer you to Jordanian authorities who can provide a great deal more insight into the Jordanian justice system."

Jordan has executed Sajida al-Rishawi, the female suicide bomber asked for by the IS in a previous proposal to swap prisoners, the state-run Petra news agency reported Wednesday. Another al-Qaeda prisoner, Ziad al-Karbouly, was also hanged to death on the same day, according to the report.

After the executions, Federica Mogherini, the European Union ( EU) high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a statement that Brussels stood by the Jordanians but criticized the Jordanians for using capital punishment as a deterrent. Endite