Father of F-16 pilot captured in Syria pleads with ISIS to show mercy and release his son as terrified relatives gather at family home

                       

The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by Isis has issued a heartfelt plea to the militants to release him, as concerned relatives gathered in front of his family home.

Jihadists captured First Lieutenant Mu'ath Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh after his warplane was brought down while conducting airstrikes over Syria, the Jordanian military said.

Jordanian Information Minister Mohammad Momani told The Associated Press that the plane was shot down by 'ground fire' but did not elaborate. 

It was the first instance of a foreign soldier falling into the group's hands since the U.S.-led coalition began its air campaign against the extremists.More pics below....

 

This picture shows a captured Jordanian pilot, naked from the waist down, being carried out of a body of water by militants

The images of the prisoner appeared on social media on Wednesday, with the Jordanian army confirming that one of its servicemen has been captured

Relatives of the Jordanian pilot who was captured by Islamic State congregate in front of his family's home in the city of Karak

Concerned relatives of the captured lieutenant spoke anxiously on the phone, desperate for news

A friend said Kasaesbeh, who is from a prominent Jordanian family, was fervent in his commitment to his mission against the Islamic State. Pictured are relatives of the pilot outside the family home

Mr Joseph Kasasbeh, a retired education director, told Saraya News that he hoped Isis would be compassionate.

He said: 'I pray to God to instill compassion in your hearts.'

His plea came as distraught relatives gathered outside the pilot's family home, anxious to hear the latest news about him.

The Raqqa Media Center published a photograph said to be of the pilot - in a white shirt, naked from the waist down and sopping wet - being pulled by gunmen out of what appeared to be a lake.

Another picture shows him surrounded by more than a dozen fighters, some of them masked. The center said IS fighters are scouring the area in case there is a second pilot. 

The pilot's capture raises a nightmare scenario for Jordan, which has been sharply criticized by militant sympathizers for its participation. IS in the past has beheaded dozens of Syrian soldiers it captured in operations around the country. The group has also beheaded three Americans and two Britons.

Jordan's military said in a statement that as its air force was carrying out a military mission against the Islamic State group Wednesday morning, 'one of our warplanes crashed,' it said. 'The pilot was taken hostage by the Daesh terrorist organization,' it added, using the Arabic acronym for the Isalmic State group.

The Jordan Army confirms one of its pilots has been captured

 

Recovered parts: This photograph is part of the downed Jordanian jet's canopy

Crash site: A picture said to be of the smouldering wreckage of the crashed Jordanian fighter jet 

Trophy: Parts of the F-16 are being put on display in the Isis stronghold of Raqqa

A still image released by the Islamic State group's branch in Raqqa on jihadist websites purportedly showing IS fighters inspecting the wreckage of a Jordanian warplane they shot down with an anti-aircraft missile

A picture released by Isis said to show a jihadist holding up pieces of the warplane, which came down near Raqqa 

Proof: Isis published photographs of the captured pilot's ID cards, which show his date of birth, rank and full name

It said IS and 'those who support it' will be responsible for the safety of the pilot.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had confirmation from activists on the ground that the aircraft was shot down.

Earlier Independent Defence Analyst Paul Beaver warned that Isis is capable of downing warplanes.

He told MailOnline: 'Isis do have the capability to hit aircraft, as they have surface-to-air missiles and heavy machine guns.'

It was not immediately known how the fighters shot down the warplane. But the Islamic State group is known to have stocks of Russian-made Igla anti-aircraft missiles. 

The shoulder-fired weapon has long been in the Syrian and Iraqi government arsenals - it was used during the 1991 Gulf War by Iraqi forces to down a British Tornado jet, for example. More recently, militants in Chechnya have used them to down Russian helicopters. 

The Raqqa Media Center, an agency of activists that operates openly in IS-ruled areas with permission of the group, said the plane was downed near the village of Hamra Ghannam outside Raqqa. 

The Islamic State group is known to have stocks of Russian-made Igla anti-aircraft missiles (pictured), which may have been used to down the F-16 jet

It posted photos of militants posing with shards of wreckage and the canopy being loaded onto a van and then placed in the centre of Raqqa seemingly as a trophy. 

It also posted a phot of the pilot's military identification card, identifying him as First Lieutenant Mu'ath Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh, aged 27.

In Jordan, the pilot's cousin Marwan al-Kaseasbeh confirmed by telephone with The Associated Press that the photos are of his cousin. 

A friend said Kasaesbeh, who is from a prominent Jordanian family, was fervent in his commitment to his mission and felt it was a religious duty to fight extremist groups such as Islamic State that were 'distorting the true spirit of Islam'. 

Momani said al-Kaseasbeh, who got married in July, was 'a symbol of heroism and sacrifice'. He added that 'the war on terrorism will continue', saying that the fight with the extremists was 'to defend the Islamic religion'.

The United States and several Arab allies have been striking the Islamic State group in Syria since September 23, and U.S. and other international warplanes have been waging an air campaign against the extremists in Iraq for even longer. 

The campaign aims to push back the jihadi organization after it took over much of Iraq and Syria and declared a 'caliphate.'

Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are participating in the Syria strikes, with Qatari logistical support.

Staunch U.S. ally Jordan has provided a logistics base for the U.S.-led air campaign and is a hub for intelligence-gathering operations against the jihadists, a western diplomatic source said.

King Abdullah has been in the forefront of regional U.S. allies supportive of the campaign but has said radical Sunni extremists cannot defeated by military means alone and their ideology must be confronted with reason.  

In Washington, a Pentagon official said they are aware of the claims being made over social media that a pilot has been shot down, but they could not confirm the report at this time.

The official said any further questions about the alleged capture should be referred to the government of Jordan. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the reports by name. 

ISIS DISPLAY PILOT'S SURVIVAL KIT THAT WAS FOUND NEAR THE CRASH SITE

Islamic State terrorists uploaded a picture of a survival kit belonging to the pilot they captured.

These kits are fitted as standard to F-16s, though their exact contents depends on the type of mission the pilots will typically fly.

For example, the survival kits given to pilots flying desert missions, will be adapted to help them survive in arid conditions, should they crash.

Islamic State terrorists uploaded a picture of a survival kit belonging to the pilot they captured

The kits are normally fitted to the back of the ejector seat and are crammed with useful items.

For example, they are likely to contain candles, lighters, a sleeping bag, insect repellent and flares.

Some also contain special dyes to colour water in case the pilot needs to attract passing planes while stranded far from solid ground.

Several knives are normally included, too, along with a sharpening stone.

Toothpaste and a razor are standard issue, along with a piercing whistle to attract attention.

The pilot's radio and phone might be broken, so some contain a signalling mirror to help rescuers home in on their location. 

Toys are scattered across the floor after bombardment in Raqqa

 

This picture shows the captured Jordanian pilot posing next to a warplane

Mu'ath Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh pictured here riding a quad bike in the desert

In Jordan, the pilot's cousin, Marwan al-Kaseasbeh, confirmed by telephone with The Associated Press that the photos published by Isis are of his cousin

A friend of the pilot (pictured) said that he felt it was a religious duty to fight extremist groups such as Islamic State

In October it was reported that Isis is now in possession of MANPADS - shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles

Over the past week, Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters have been battling Isis to liberate the town of Sinjar, a tiny desert community in northern Iraq that the gunmen overran in August, massacring and enslaving hundreds of its residents.

The Islamic State group swept into Sinjar and surrounding villages as part of their summer blitz across northern Iraq. 

The advance of the extremists struck particular fear there. Much of the population belongs to the minority Yazidi religious community, a tiny sect that the Sunni Muslim radicals consider heretics.

Hundreds were killed, and hundreds more Yazidi women and girls were taken captive by the militants, turned into sex slaves or forcibly 'married' to Islamic State supporters in Syria and Iraq.

Celebration: Fanatics were seen displaying Isis flags in Raqqa as they revelled in the capture of the Jordanian pilot

Convoys of terrorists paraded around Raqqa to celebrate the jet coming down

Militants celebrated as the Jordanian military confirmed that one of their servicemen had been captured

Thousands of other Yazidis fled into Mount Sinjar, a long, steep mountain range that erupts from the flat desert landscape and looms over the town. There they languished for weeks with little food or protection until they were rescued, many by Syrian Kurds who freed a corridor to reach them.
Now, Iraqi Kurdish fighters are on an offensive to push back the Islamic State in this corner of Iraq near the Syrian border.

Meanwhile, officials say a suicide attack against pro-government, anti-Islamic State group Sunni militias near Baghdad has killed at least 13 people.

A police officer says the attacker blew himself up early Wednesday morning among a group of militiamen gathered at a military base south of Baghdad to receive their monthly payment. He said 10 militiamen and three soldiers were killed and 25 others wounded.

The group, known as Sahwa, is made up of Sunni militiamen who joined U.S. troops in the fight against al-Qaida during the height of the insurgency in 2007 and 2008. They are viewed as traitors by the Sunni militants.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release information to the media.