Jordanian fighter jets have carried out new airstrikes today, following up yesterday's execution of two prisoners and King Abdullah II's vow to wage a "harsh" war against ISIS militants who control parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq. An army statement didn't say which country was targeted, but a government spokesman tells CNN that eastern Syria holds the majority of targets. "We want to make sure that they will pay for the crime they did and the atrocity they did to our pilot," says a government spokesman, per CNN. Today, warplanes roared overhead as the king paid a condolence visit to the family of the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, in his village in southern Jordan. The king pointed at the planes as he sat next to the pilot's father.
The elder al-Kaseasbeh appeared in no way appeased by yesterday's executions. "These were criminals and there is no comparison between them and Muath. His blood is more valued than Sajida al-Rishawi and Ziad Karbouli," he said. "I demand that revenge should be bigger than executing prisoners." Abdullah has said Jordan's response "will be harsh because this terrorist organization is not only fighting us, but also fighting Islam and its pure values." In a statement yesterday, he pledged to hit the militants "hard in the very center of their strongholds." Meanwhile, in Washington, leading members of Congress have called for increased US military assistance to the kingdom, which is currently given $1 billion annually in economic and military assistance. (More Muath al-Kaseasbeh stories.)
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