AMMAN — An official says Jordan has launched dozens of air strikes against the self-proclaimed Islamic State group since the militants released a video last week showing the killing of a Jordanian fighter pilot. Jordan has said it would retaliate harshly for the slaying of the pilot, who was burned to death in a cage. Jordan has been a member of a US-led military coalition against the IS group since September. After the release of the video, it said it would intensify bombing raids. Since Thursday, Jordan has carried out daily attacks. Government spokesman Mohammed Al-Momani said on Sunday that Jordan has launched dozens of airstrikes since the pilot's death, without elaborating. Meanwhile, another coalition member, the United Arab Emirates, says it is sending a squadron of F-16 fighters to Jordan. UAE fighters would now join raids from inside Jordan, a source said. “This is a big boost and will be helping our (Gulf) brothers shorten their flying distances and intensify strikes against the militants,” the source told Reuters on condition of anonymity. UAE state news agency WAM said the Gulf country had ordered a squadron of F16s to support the Jordanian armed forces in what it said was it's “effective participation” in the military campaign against IS. But it did not specify whether the aircraft would be carrying out air strikes from Jordan. Jordan's interior minister said that his country is going after IS militants wherever they are and plans to “wipe them out completely.” Interior Minister Hussein Al-Majali said Maaz Al-Kaseasbeh's killing was a turning point for Jordan. He told the state-run Al-Rai newspaper in comments published on Saturday that Jordan will go after the militants “wherever they are.” The most recent airstrikes are “the beginning of a continued process to eliminate them and wipe them out completely,” he said of the militants who control about a third of neighboring Syria and Iraq. The heightened confrontation has raised concerns about possible IS group attacks in Jordan. The minister said security services have a tight grip and are ready for “anyone who wants to interfere in the security of Jordan.” He urged Jordans to report suspicious behavior, particular in neighborhoods with large numbers of non-Jordanians. — Agencies
