Jordan Releases Trending photos of Strikes Against ISIS – In Operation Martyr Moaz Named After Murdered Pilot

Jordan has released a slickly-edited video that shows its war planes being prepared for bombing strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Syria.

The footage, understood to have been broadcast on state TV, shows troops messages on plane-mounted missiles before the fleet of fighter jets are launched from the base.

The mission – dubbed Operation Martyr Moaz in memory of the pilot brutally killed by ISIS – is the latest show of force from the nation, which has promised a ‘harsh’ war against the terror group.

It comes just hours after Jordanian fighter pilots made a diversion over the hometown of their murdered comrade, Moaz al-Kasasbeh, on their return from an air raid this morning.

Dozens of jets bombed ISIS training centers and weapons storage sites in Syria and struck targets neighbouring Iraq for the first time – intensifying attacks against the militants.

The assault came after Jordan’s King Abdullah II visited the grieving Kasasbeh family in Aya village.

Amman was “more determined than ever to fight the terrorist group Daesh.” And a government spokesman said Jordan would step up its role in the U.S.-led fight against the militant group.

King Abdullah cut short a visit to Washington, returning to his country where he held emergency talks with his military.

Planes belonging to the Jordanian Royal Air Force fly over the headquarters of the family clan of pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh in the city of Karak Feb. 4, 2015. (Reuters)
Jordanian fighter jets flew over the hometown of a pilot killed by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group and the capital Amman on Thursday after completing a mission, state television said without giving the location of their sortie, Reuters reported.
However, Iraqi media said that the Jordanian airstrikes have killed 55 ISIS militants including a senior commander known as the “Prince of Nineveh.”
Jordan’s ‘severe’ response to ISIS after it killed an air force pilot by burning him alive, came just hours after King Abdullah vowed to avenge Maaz al-Kassasbeh’s death.
"The blood of martyr Maaz al-Kassasbeh will not be in vain and the response of Jordan and its army after what happened to our dear son will be severe," Said King Abdullah in a statement released by the royal court on Wednesday.
Jordan had previously been divided on its participation in airstrikes against ISIS, with many question why the country was involving itself in the fight.
But it was a divide that largely vanished after the revelation of Kassasbeh’s brutal execution.
Jordan’s information minister, Mohammad al-Momani told AFP: Amman was “more determined than ever to fight the terrorist group Daesh.” And a government spokesman said Jordan would step up its role in the U.S.-led fight against the militant group.
King Abdullah cut short a visit to Washington, returning to his country where he held emergency talks with his military.
But before his return to the Middle East he met with President Barack Obama, who slammed the pilot’s killing as an act of "cowardice and depravity," and he offered the king “his deepest condolences” White House spokesman, Alistair Baskey said.
Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said radical Islam’s “cruelty knows no borders, the greatest threat to humanity would be if these extremists get their hands on nuclear weapons," referring to Iran's nuclear program.
The airstrikes came just hours after Jordan executed two militant prisoners in response to the killing of Kassasbeh.

But the pilot’s father told Reuters the two executions were not enough to avenge his son’s death, adding: "I want the state to get revenge for my son's blood through more executions of those people who follow this criminal group that shares nothing with Islam." Safi al-Kassasbeh told Reuters.

 

Jordan's King Abdullah II (L) greeting Safi, the father of Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh. Main photo, a Jordanian jet returns from bombing Isis targets. Photo / AFP, AP

The military said "dozens of jet fighters" struck Isis targets overnight, "hitting training camps of the terrorist groups as well as weapons and ammunition warehouses."
It did not say where the targets were located -- Isis holds swathes of Syria and Iraq -- but said they were destroyed and the aircraft returned to base safely.

Jordan's military pledged to "destroy this terrorist group and kill the evil in its own place", saying it would punish Isis "for the heinous act" of burning the pilot alive.
Personifying the nation's grief and deep anger over the horrifying murder, Abdullah visited the airman's family, which has urged the government to "destroy" the jihadists, to pay his condolences.

An image grab taken from the Jordanian TV on February 5, 2015 shows flames erupting from a building hit by an airstrike against Islamic State. Photo / AFP

 

Jordan has conducted regular raids against Isis across the border in Syria as part of a US-led campaign against the Sunni extremist group.
More than 200,000 people have died since anti-government protests erupted in Syria in early 2011, escalating into a multi-sided civil war that brought jihadists streaming into the country.

Jawdat al-Kaseasbeh, a brother of slain Jordanians pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh, reacts to people gathering to show their support for the government against Isis. Photo / AP

At least 66 people, including 12 children, were killed by regime air strikes and shelling on rebel areas around Damascus Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The assault on the Eastern Ghouta region came after rebels fired more than 100 rockets at the city, killing 10 people including a child, the Britain-based group said.

 

The gruesome murder of Maaz al-Kassasbeh, captured by Isis in December after his F-16 crashed in Syria, has increased support in Jordan for stepped-up military action against the jihadists.
"Jordan will wage all-out war to protect our principles and values," government newspaper Al-Rai wrote in an editorial. "We are on the lookout for this band of criminals."
The execution has sparked outrage in Jordan and protests in Amman and Karak, bastion of Kassasbeh's influential tribe.
Solidarity demonstrations with the family are planned for nationwide after Friday's weekly Muslim prayers.
Abdullah cut short a US visit and returned to Amman after the video of Kassasbeh's killing emerged.

A Jordanian Air Force fighter jet flies over the village of Ai as Jordanian King Abdullah II visits to offer his condolences to the tribe of the slain Jordanian pilot. Photo / AP

"The blood of martyr Maaz al-Kassasbeh will not be in vain and the response of Jordan and its army after what happened to our dear son will be severe," he said afterwards.
On Wednesday, in response, Jordan executed two Iraqis on death row -- female would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi and Al-Qaeda operative Ziad al-Karboli.
Abdullah travelled Thursday 120 kilometres south of Amman to Karak, where a traditional mourning tent was set up for Kassasbeh's family to receive guests.
Hundreds of people, including representatives of the military and civilians, gathered as the king, wearing a red and white checked keffiyeh, sat next to the 26-year-old first lieutenant's father.

Jan. 27, 2015 file photo, the mother of Jordanian pilot Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh holds a picture of her son. Photo / AP

- 'Infidels and terrorists' -

Safi al-Kassasbeh branded Isis "infidels and terrorists who know no humanity or human rights", and said the "international community must destroy" the group.
Isis had offered to spare Kassasbeh's life and free Japanese journalist Kenji Goto -- who was later beheaded -- in exchange for Rishawi's release.
Rishawi, 44, was sentenced to death for her role in triple hotel bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed 60 people.
She was closely linked to Isis' predecessor organisation in Iraq, and was seen as an important symbol for the jihadists.
Jordanian television suggested Kassasbeh was killed on January 3, before IS offered to spare him and free Goto in return for Rishawi's release.
Following the airman's capture, another member of the US-led coalition, the United Arab Emirates, withdrew from air strike missions over fears for the safety of its pilots, a US official said.
"I can confirm that UAE suspended air strikes shortly after the Jordanian pilot's plane went down," the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity, but stressed the UAE's continuing "important and valuable" role in the coalition.
US President Barack Obama, who had hosted Abdullah in a hastily organised meeting before his return to Jordan, decried the "cowardice and depravity" of Isis.
Benjamin Netanyahu also extended his condolences to the king in a phone call on Thursday, the Israeli premier's office said.
Isis had previously beheaded two US journalists, an American aid worker and two British aid workers in similar videos. It has also killed a second Japanese hostage.

 

 

Airstrike: The slickly-edited video also contains aerial shots that appear to show Jordanian strikes on Islamic State targets. The Royal Jordanian Air Force launched strikes on Syria this morning..

 

Preparation: A woman is seen writing a message in Arabic on a plane-mounted missile before the air assault

Take off: A plane belonging to the Royal Jordanian Air Force, above, is seen taking off in the latest video

Dozens of Jordanian fighter jets bombed ISIS training centers and weapons storage sites on Thursday. Above, aerial footage from the video released today appears to show a pilot seeking a target

It has now been two days ISIS released a horrific 22-minute long video showing the pilot being burnt alive while locked in a cage.

The act has been widely condemned as among the most sickening ever committed to film and has sent waves of revulsion across the region.

In response, Jordan executed two Iraqi militants connected with ISIS, including Sajida al-Rishawi, the female would-be suicide bomber whose freedom ISIS had originally demanded in exchange for releasing Kasasbeh.

The air strike video, released today on the YouTube channel of a national radio station, is the latest show of strength. It is understood to have been recorded at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base.

The military’s statement, read on state TV, was entitled, ‘This is the beginning and you will get to know the Jordanians’ – an apparent warning to ISIS.

It said the strikes will continue ‘until we eliminate them.’

With its stirring soundtrack and complex editing, the video is similar in style to those released by ISIS, which have been striking in their professional use of camera and editing equipment.

The clip shows uniformed people, believed to be members of the Jordanian military, writing messages in Arabic across plane-mounted missiles. One reads ‘for you, the enemy of Islam’.

Jordan exacts revenge on ISIS with punishing aerial raid

Target: This footage is believed to show Jordanian forces bombing Islamic State sites in Syria today

The video also features a pilot holding up a sign that reads: ‘And do not think that God is unaware of what the evildoers are doing’ – an apparent warning to ISIS militants. The message is based on a passage in the Quran

Show of force: A fleet of Jordanian F-16 fighter jets are lined up at a base ahead of air strikes in Syria and Iraq

The video also features a pilot holding up a sign that reads: ‘And do not think that God is unaware of what the evildoers are doing’ – an apparent warning to ISIS militants.

There are aerial shots that appear to show Jordanian forces bombing ISIS training centres and weapon storage sites in Syria.

As part of the new campaign, Jordan is also attacking targets in Iraq, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said. Until now, Jordan had only struck ISIS targets in Syria as part of a U.S.-led military coalition.

‘We said we are going to take this all the way, we are going to go after them wherever they are and we’re doing that,” Judeh told Fox News.

Asked if Jordan was now carrying out attacks in both countries, he said: ‘That’s right. Today more Syria than Iraq, but like I said it’s an ongoing effort.’

He added: ‘They’re in Iraq and they are in Syria and therefore you have to target them wherever they are.’

The militant group controls about one-third of each Syria and Iraq, both neighbors of Jordan.

The Jordanian military said dozens of fighter jets were involved in Thursday’s strikes on training centers and weapons storage sites.

Tribute: A plane belonging to the Jordanian Royal Air Force makes a deliberate diversion over over the home town of the pilot brutally murdered by ISIS after carrying out airstrikes against the terror group in Syria

Visit: Local television showed a sombre-looking King (right) sitting alongside Moaz al-Kasasbeh’s father Saif (left), the Jordanian army chief, and other senior officials in Aya – a village 60 miles south of the capital Amman

Embrace: Jordan’s King Abdullah II hugs Saif al-Kassasbeh, father of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh

The tribute came as Jordan’s King Abdullah II (centre) visited Moaz al-Kasasbeh’s grieving family including his father, Saif (left) – in Aya village and one day after he vowed to wage a ‘harsh’ war against the militants

Tribe members of slain Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh receive mourners at the memorial tent set up for the murdered pilot in his home village of Aya near Karak in Jordan this morning

Looking for revenge: The Jordanian fighter jets carried out new air strikes a day after King Abdullah (left) vowed to wage a ‘harsh’ war against Islamic State militants who control parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq

Earlier today, war planes roared overhead as the King paid a condolence visit to the tribal family of the pilot in his village in southern Jordan.

State television showed a sombre-looking King sitting alongside the army chief and senior officials while visiting Aya, a village 60 miles south of the capital Amman.

Thousands of Jordanians flocked to pay respects in traditional Arab Bedouin style in a part of the country where influential tribes form an important pillar of the Hashemite rule, supplying the army and security forces with its manpower.

At one point the King pointed out the aircraft as he sat next to the victim’s father, Saif al-Kasasbeh.

‘You are a wise monarch. These criminals violated the rules of war in Islam and they have no humanity. Even humanity disowns them,’ he told the King.

The Jordanian fighter jets carried out new air strikes a day after King Abdullah vowed to wage a ‘harsh’ war against Islamic State militants who control parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq.

The army statement did not say which country was targeted.

King Abdullah visits family of Jordanian pilot killed by ISIS

Condolences: Local television showed the King (right) sitting alongside Moaz al-Kasasbeh’s father Saif (left)

Jordan’s King Abdullah II embraces Fahed al-Kasasbeh, the uncle of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh

Brutal: This morning’s show of force came two days after ISIS released a horrific 22-minute long video showing the pilot being burnt alive while locked in a cage

Distraught: The pilot’s father surrounded by family members and security forces during a mourning ceremony in the city of Karak, Jordan, on Thursday

Uncompromising language: King Abdullah II has said Jordan’s response ‘will be harsh because this terrorist organisation is not only fighting us, but also fighting Islam and its pure values’

Activists carry pictures of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kassasbeh in Amman earlier this week

Jordanian king calls killing of pilot an ‘act of cowardice’

Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military coalition that has bombed IS targets in both countries since the autumn, but until now Jordanian warplanes are only known to have carried out raids in Syria.

King Abdullah II has said Jordan’s response ‘will be harsh because this terrorist organisation is not only fighting us, but also fighting Islam and its pure values.’

In a statement, he pledged to hit the militants ‘hard in the very centre of their strongholds’.

In Washington, leading members of Congress have called for increased U.S. military assistance to the kingdom.

Currently, the United States provides Jordan with $1 billion a year in economic and military aid.

Not true: False rumours spread online yesterday that King Abdullah II is preparing to personally take part in airstrikes against ISIS. The Royal Hashemite Court’s official Facebook page later shared this image of the King wearing a pilot’s uniform, which some mistakenly took to mean he had carried out an air raid

Clean cut: 26-year-old Moaz al-Kasasbeh is seen wearing his pilot’s uniform before being captured by ISIS

Return home: King Abdullah of Jordan arrives as Jordanians stand along the way between Amman and Queen Alia airport waiting to greet him upon his arrival on Wednesday

Protestors take to the streets of Jordan following ISIS execution

The visit comes after a Jordanian government spokesman denied rumours that the King is preparing to personally take part in airstrikes against ISIS.

In a statement Mohammed al-Momani branded said the reports that the King – who is a trained pilot – will soon conduct raids himself are unfounded and baseless.

Rumours spread online yesterday that the King was considering a combat role in the war after he promised to fight back against ISIS, insisting Kasaesbeh’s death ‘will not be in vain’.

The Royal Hashemite Court’s official Facebook page later shared an image of the King wearing a pilot’s uniform, which some mistakenly – including several Iraqi news outlets – took to mean he had carried out an air raid.

Other social media users then starting sharing old photographs on the King sitting in a plane’s cockpit, suggesting the images were taken on his return from a sortie to Syria.

Before becoming king, Abdullah was a military general who headed the Jordanian special forces.

He is also a fully qualified Cobra Helicopter pilot and in 1980 joined Sandhurst – the British Royal military academy also attended by Prince William and Prince Harry.

Rally: A Jordanian protester kisses a poster bearing the image of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh during a rally to show their loyalty to King Abdullah and against the Islamic State

Jordanians hold up pictures of the King and murdered pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh while chanting slogans during a rally today

Loyalty: Protesters made their support for Jordan’s King Abdullah II clear during a rally in Amman today