UN Chief condemns Jordanian pilot’s killing
United Nations: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday condemned the killing of a Jordanian pilot held captive by the Islamic States(IS), saying the terrorist organisation has “no regard for human life”.
In a note to the media, Ban said he shares the sorrow of the family and loved ones of Moaz al-Kasasbeh, the pilot of the Jordanian Royal Air Force, and stands in solidarity with the people of Jordan in denouncing this “appalling” act.
Al-Kasasbeh was captured after his plane crashed in December. Since then, he has become a main pawn for IS. The Jordanian government had expressed readiness to conduct a prisoner swap with IS in exchange for the safe release of al-Kasasbeh and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. But the deadline for the swap expired on January 29 as Jordan demanded proof from the IS militants that al-Kasasbeh was still alive.
The video of al-Kasasbeh’s purported death came just days after the IS militants beheaded the Japanese journalist. The Jordanian government said it confirmed the man burned to death was al- Kasasbeh and the killing took place on January 3, far earlier than the prisoner swap proposed by IS.
