Jordan Executes Jihadists After IS Murder Of Pilot

Jordan executed two Iraqi jihadists, including a female would-be
suicide bomber, on Wednesday in response to the burning alive of one
of its fighter pilots by the Islamic State group.

The gruesome murder of airman Maaz al-Kassasbeh triggered condemnation
from governments across the Middle East, while a top Muslim body
called for the killing or crucifixion of IS militants.

Jordan said it hanged female militant Sajida al-Rishawi and Al-Qaeda
member Ziad al-Karboli -- who were both on death row -- before dawn at a
prison south of the capital.

Amman had promised to begin executing Islamic extremists in response
to the murder of Kassasbeh, who was captured by IS when his plane went
down in Syria in December.

Jordan's King Abdullah II described Kassasbeh as a hero and vowed to
take the battle to IS after a video emerged purporting to show the
caged 26-year-old F-16 fighter pilot engulfed in flames.

Abdullah cut short a visit to Washington and flew back to Amman where
he was greeted by large crowds at the airport before going straight
into talks with his security chiefs.

Rishawi, 44, was sentenced to death for her participation in triple
hotel bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed 60 people.

IS had offered to spare Kassasbeh's life and free Japanese journalist
Kenji Goto -- who was later beheaded -- if she were released.

The new video -- the most brutal yet in a series of recorded killings
of hostages by IS -- prompted global revulsion and vows of unwavering
international efforts to combat the Sunni Muslim extremist group.

The killing sparked outrage in Jordan and demonstrations in Amman and
the city of Karak, the home of Kassasbeh's influential tribe.

Egypt's Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious seat of learning,
called for the "killing, crucifixion or chopping of the limbs" of IS
militants, expressing outrage over their "cowardly act".

- 'Cycle of reprisals' -

The pre-dawn hangings, which were criticised by rights campaigners,
came just weeks after Jordan ended an eight-year moratorium on the
death penalty.

Executions should not be used "as a tool for revenge," Amnesty
International said.

"The IS's gruesome tactics must not be allowed to fuel a bloody cycle
of reprisal executions."

Rishawi was closely linked to IS's predecessor organisation in Iraq
and seen as an important symbol for the jihadists.

Karboli was sentenced to death in 2007 on terrorism charges, including
the killing of a Jordanian in Iraq.

Jordan, a crucial ally of Washington in the Middle East, is one of
several Arab countries that have joined a US-led coalition carrying
out air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq.

The New York Times, quoting US officials, reported Wednesday that the
United Arab Emirates had suspended its participation in December after
Kassasbeh's capture due to fears for the safety of its pilots.

There was no official confirmation of the report.

- 'Vile murder' -

Jordan promised to avenge the pilot's murder, with a spokesman saying:
"Jordan's response will be earth-shattering."

US President Barack Obama, who hosted King Abdullah in a hastily
organised Oval Office meeting, led condemnation of the airman's
killing, decrying the "cowardice and depravity" of IS.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the brutality of IS was
"beyond comprehension".

"It has nothing to do with our religion."

The Qatar-based International Union of Muslim Scholars, headed by
influential preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi, described the murder as "a
crime contrary to sharia" Islamic law.

Kassasbeh was captured in December when his jet crashed over northern
Syria on a mission that was part of the coalition air campaign against
the jihadists.

Jordanian state television suggested he was killed on January 3,
before IS offered to spare his life and free Goto in return for
Rishawi's release.

The highly choreographed 22-minute video released Tuesday shows
Kassasbeh recounting coalition operations against IS, with flags from
the Western and Arab nations in the alliance projected in the
background.

It then shows Kassasbeh dressed in an orange jumpsuit and surrounded
by armed and masked IS fighters.

It cuts to him standing inside a cage and apparently soaked in petrol
before a masked jihadist lights a trail of flame that runs to the cage
and burns him alive.