Jordan Confirms Death of Jordanian Pilot Taken Hostage by ISIS

Jordan has confirmed the death of Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh after a video was posted online by the Islamic State claiming to show him being burned alive, the BBC reports.

Kasasbeh was captured after his plane came down near Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State, during a mission against the group in December.

Jordan, a member of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS, had been actively trying to secure the pilot’s release as part of a prisoner swap. They offered to free jailed Iraqi al-Qaida suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, whose release had been demanded by the Islamic State in exchange for the release of the pilot and Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. Goto was reportedly killed by the Islamic State three days ago.

“Many observers had assumed that the pilot, a valuable asset for the hostage takers, would be used in a bid to swap multiple prisoners and extract other concessions from Jordan, perhaps even as a wedge to push Amman out of the coalition,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

Jordan’s King Abdullah said it was “every Jordanian’s duty to stand together,” while the army vowed to avenge the killing of its pilot, calling for an “earth shattering response” to his death.

This morning a Jordanian spokesman said two prisoners had been hanged, one of which was al-Rishawi.

The U.N. Raises Concerns About Pictures of ISIS Logos on its Food Parcels

The United Nations World Food Programme is “extremely concerned” about images circulating on social media showing WFP food parcels being distributed in Syria with Islamic State logos on them, the Guardian reports.

WFP is currently trying to verify the authenticity of the photos, but they appear to have been taken in Dayr Hafr in August of last year, ”through a cross-line convoy that delivered 1,700 food rations, enough to feed 8,500 people for one month,” according to WFP.

In order to deliver aid to ISIS-held territory, nearly one-third of Syria, the U.N. has to rely on partner humanitarian organizations like the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC).

In September WFP learned that ISIS had raided a SARC warehouse in Dayr Hafr where undistributed food rations may have been stored.

“WFP condemns this manipulation of desperately needed food aid inside Syria. We urge all parties to the conflict to respect humanitarian principles and allow humanitarian workers including our partners to deliver food to the most vulnerable and hungry families,” said Muhannad Hadi, WFP Emergency Regional Coordinator for the Syria crisis.

First of Syria’s 12 Chemical Weapons Production Facilities Destroyed

The destruction of the first of Syria’s 12 chemical weapons production facilities is completed, according to a statement from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

“I welcome the destruction of the first facility, which had been delayed due to some technical reasons,” OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü said in the statement. “I am hopeful that remaining destruction activities will proceed according to the plan.”

The destruction of the first facility came after a delay attributed to “technical reasons,” and seven months after Syria exported the last of its known stockpile of chemical weapons ingredients, the New York Times reports.

According to the U.N. and the OPCW, 1,300 tons of Syria’s declared stockpile have been removed, and 98 percent have been destroyed.

The agreement to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons came after a chemical attack on eastern Ghouta that killed nearly 1,000 civilians.

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• AP: Muslim Man Jailed in U.K. for Planning to Join Rebels in Syria
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• Reuters: Syrian Kurds Push Back Islamic State Around Kobani: Monitor, Kurds
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• Reuters: U.S. Hopes Pilot’s Murder Will Toughen Jordan’s Resolve