Muath al-Kasasbeh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Native name | معاذ صافي يوسف الكساسبة |
| Birth name | Muath Safi Yousef al-Kasasbeh |
| Born | 29 May 1988 Karak, Jordan |
| Died | c. 3 January 2015 (aged 26) Raqqa, Syria |
| Cause of death | Burning |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  Jordan |
| Branch |  Royal Jordanian Air Force |
| Years of service | 2009–2015 |
| Rank | Captain (promoted posthumously) |
| Unit | No. 1 Squadron |
| Conflicts | |
| Spouse(s) |
Anwar al-Tarawneh (m. 2014) |
Muath Safi Yousef al-Kasasbeh (Arabic: معاذ صافي يوسف الكساسبة, romanized: Muʿaḏ Ṣāfī Yūsuf al-Kasāsibah South Levantine pronunciation: [mʊˈʕaːð-, mʊˈʕaːz ˈsˤɑːfi ˈjuːsef el kaˈsaːsbe]; 29 May 1988[1] – c. 3 January 2015[2]) was a Jordanian fighter pilot who was captured and burned to death by the militant group ISIL after his F-16 fighter aircraft crashed over Syria.
Al-Kasasbeh's fighter crashed near Raqqa, Syria, on 24 December 2014 during the military intervention against the Islamic State. United States and Jordanian officials said that mechanical problems caused the crash, while ISIL claimed that a heat-seeking missile hit the plane.[3][4]
ISIL held al-Kasasbeh captive before killing him in early January 2015. It then conducted negotiations with the Jordanian government, claiming it would spare al-Kasabeh's life and free Japanese journalist Kenji Goto in exchange for Sajida al-Rishawi, a woman sentenced to death by Jordan for attempted terrorism and possessing explosives.[5] After the Jordanian government insisted on freeing al-Kasasbeh as part of the deal and showing proof that he was alive before it would exchange al-Rishawi, ISIL released a video on 3 February 2015 showing al-Kasasbeh being burned to death while trapped inside a cage.
Al-Kasasbeh's killing provoked widespread outrage in Jordan and condemnation by leading figures of the Islamic world. In direct retaliation, King Abdullah ordered the executions of condemned terrorists Sajida al-Rishawi and Ziad Al-Karbouly, as well as Operation Martyr Muath, a series of airstrikes that killed several ISIL militants over three days.
- ^ Heather Saul and Kashmira Gander (24 December 2014). "Isis 'did not shoot down Jordan war plane' before capturing pilot, says US". The Independent. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
RMC later posted a photograph of the Jordanian military identity card of the pilot identifying him as Mu'ath Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh who was born on May 29, 1988.
- ^ Shiv Malik (4 February 2015). "Isis video shows Jordanian hostage being burned to death". The Guardian. United Kingdom. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
- ^ "Profile: IS-held Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh". BBC News. 3 February 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
YT20141226was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Jordan committed to anti-IS coalition, despite hostage drama". Yahoo News. 1 February 2015. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2017.