'Treat him well', says father of Jordanian pilot captured by ISIL

'Treat him well', says father of Jordanian pilot captured by ISIL
By Euronews
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button

The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by the self-proclaimed Islamic State group in Syria has appealed to the militants to treat his son well

ADVERTISEMENT

The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by the self-proclaimed Islamic State group in Syria has appealed to the militants to treat his son well.

26-year-old 1st Lieutenant Mu’ath al-Kasasbeh was taken prisoner after his warplane came down on December 24.

Speaking as a delegation of senior Christian leaders visited the family to express their solidarity, Safi al-Kasasbeh said:

“I call on the brothers from ISIL to consider him their son and their colleague in prayer to treat him well and consider him as their son and a guest on this, the anniversary of the birth of the Prophet Mohammad.”

The pilot’s plane crashed in a rural area of Raqqa province, an ISIL stronghold in northeastern Syria, while carrying out airstrikes against militant targets.

Jordan, one of several Arab countries involved in the US-led coalition, has not confirmed ISIL’s claims that the jet was shot down.

The extremist group released what it said was an interview with the pilot in which he said a missile had shot down his jet. The interview has not been verified.

Some reports say US forces carried out a failed mission to rescue the pilot on New Year’s Day.

The young man is said by a family friend to be a devout Muslim who felt it was his religious duty to fight extremist groups like the so-called Islamic State who were “distorting the true spirit of Islam”.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

WATCH: Families of female Israeli hostages protest in Tel Aviv

Italian family back in Rome following two years of captivity in Mali

Israeli forces storm West Bank hospital as UN meets nations defunding UNRWA over 7 October attacks