The father of a Jordanian captured by Islamic State militants in Syria is pleading with the rebel group for the fighter pilot’s safe return.
The father appealed to the religious extremists to treat First Lieutenant Muath al-Kasaesbeh as a “guest,” not a hostage, telling them “we are all Muslims.”
“I send a message to our generous brothers of the Islamic State in Syria: [I ask them] to host my son, pilot Muath, with generous hospitality, and they [referring to the Islamic State] are generous, and [I ask them] not to be ungenerous towards my son,” said Safi al-Kasaesbeh. “I ask God to fill their hearts with love, and [I ask for him] to be returned to his family, wife and mother.”
Jordan confirmed Wednesday that the pilot is being held. The F-16 fighter jet he was flying as part of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State went down near the rebel stronghold of Raqqa, in northern Syria.
The U.S. military has acknowledged that the plane crashed, but denied a claim by the Islamic State that its militants shot it down.
The Jordanian army said it is holding the rebel group responsible for the pilot’s life and well-being.
