Jordan

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Riding Rage, Jordan Launches Airstrikes on ISIS

'They will pay for the atrocity they did to our pilot'

(Newser) - 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,...

Jordan Hangs Woman ISIS Wanted to Free

2 Iraqi militants executed after pilot's death

(Newser) - Jordan has made good on its vow to execute the Iraqi woman ISIS had sought in a prisoner swap as retaliation for the execution of pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh . Officials say failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi was hanged at dawn along with Ziyad Karboli, a top Iraqi al-Qaeda operative, Reuters reports....

ISIS: Jordan Has Until Sunset for Hostage Exchange
Jordan to ISIS:
We Need Proof of Life
UPDATED

Jordan to ISIS: We Need Proof of Life

New audio message extends deadline to sunset

(Newser) - ISIS released a message last night purportedly extending the deadline for Jordan's release of an Iraqi would-be hotel bomber linked to al-Qaeda. The English-language recording, read by a voice claiming to be Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, says Jordan must present Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman convicted of involvement in...

Jordan Willing to Swap Prisoners With ISIS

Would set a precedent for negotiating with ISIS

(Newser) - Jordan is willing to swap an Iraqi woman prisoner involved in a deadly 2005 hotel bombing for a Jordanian pilot captured in December by the Islamic State, a government spokesman said today. Such a swap would run counter to Jordan's hard-line approach toward Islamic militants and to the position...

New Video Says ISIS Hostages Have 24 Hours to Live

Voice claiming to be Kenji Goto calls for Iraqi prisoner's release

(Newser) - A new video message claiming to be from ISIS says that two hostages have 24 hours or less to live unless an Iraqi prisoner is released from Jordan, USA Today reports. The video, posted today, features a still image of hostage Kenji Goto , a Japanese journalist, as the voice of...

Captured Pilot's Dad to ISIS: Treat Him as a 'Guest'

No word yet on Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh's fate

(Newser) - The father of the Jordanian pilot captured by ISIS is pleading with militants to treat his son well, reports Reuters , noting that 1st Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh comes from a prominent Sunni Muslim family. "I do not want to describe him as a hostage. I call him a guest,...

ISIS Captures Jordan Pilot in US-Led Coalition

Jordan confirms capture of pilot

(Newser) - A warplane in the US-led coalition that is bombing ISIS in Syria went down near Raqqa today, the AP reports, and Jordan is confirming ISIS claims that one of its pilots has been captured by the militants. The pro-ISIS Raqqa Media Center published photos to Facebook showing a bleeding man...

Old Stone Circles Baffle Archaeologists

"Big Circles" in Jordan date back at least 2K years

(Newser) - Archaeologists have snapped aerial photos of ancient stone circles as part of an ongoing effort to figure out why the structures exist, LiveScience reports. The images (taken in Jordan and viewable here ) show that 10 of the 11 structures are roughly 1,300 feet in diameter, but their purpose...

War-Scarred Lions Find New Home

Israel-Hamas war killed 80 of Gaza zoo's other animals

(Newser) - A trio of scrawny lions was brought into Israel from Gaza yesterday en route to a better life at a wildlife sanctuary in Jordan after their zoo was damaged in the recent Israel-Hamas war. The three, a pair of males and a pregnant female, were sedated at Al-Bisan zoo in...

Jordan Acquits bin Laden's 'Right-Hand Man'

Abu Qatada will soon be a free man, lawyer says

(Newser) - Radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada spent a decade fighting deportation from Britain to his native Jordan—but the country has now acquitted him on the terror charges he was brought back to face. A civilian court decided there was not enough evidence to find the man once described as Osama...

US Pounds ISIS Targets in Syria

Airstrikes aimed at degrading group's capabilities

(Newser) - The US and five Arab countries launched airstrikes late Monday on ISIS targets in Syria, the Pentagon says. Using a mix of manned aircraft—fighter jets and bombers—plus Tomahawk cruise missiles, the strikes were part of the expanded military campaign that President Obama authorized nearly two weeks ago in...

Cairo Gets First Snow in 100+ Years

Storm brings winter to much of Middle East

(Newser) - Cairo saw a rare and wonderful sight today: Snow. Much of the Middle East has been blanketed by the white stuff in recent days thanks to a region-wide cold snap and winter storm. According to local news reports, Cairo hasn't gotten snow in more than a century, the LA ...

Dead Sea to Be Saved ... by Red Sea?

But Red-Dead plan has environmentalists worried

(Newser) - Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority have put aside their differences in an effort to keep the Dead Sea from going belly-up. The famously salty sea is dropping by more than 3 feet a year as the River Jordan is sucked almost dry by agriculture, and the new water-sharing pact...

Life for Syrian Refugees, at $500K a Day

The Zaatari camp isn't bad, but Jordan grumbles about the cost

(Newser) - Nicknamed the Champs-Elysées, this line of shops offers everything from vegetables to slabs of meat to footwear and clothing. Only, the shops are all tents in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan, where 100,000 people—half of them under 18—live in exile and face pressure to go...

Syrian Rebels Recruit New Fighters at Refugee Camp

Jordan and the UN claim they're unaware

(Newser) - Syrain rebels in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan freely acknowledge recruiting fighters in the camp, trying to bolster rebel ranks in the face of stepped up offensives by President Bashar al-Assad's forces just across the border in southern Syria. Recruiting is banned in Zaatari, and the rebel activities...

Brothels and Pizza Joints: Inside a Syrian Refugee Camp

A visit to Jordan's Za'atari, the 2nd-largest refugee camp in the world

(Newser) - Though the world's focus is squarely on Syria right now, journalist David Remnick shifts his focus outside the country, which over 2 million Syrian refugees have fled since the civil war began. In the New Yorker, Remnick visits the world’s second-largest refugee camp, Jordan's Za'atari. The...

UK Deports Radical Cleric to Jordan After Decade Fight

Abu Qatada will finally face trial in Jordan

(Newser) - A radical Muslim preacher suspected of being a key al-Qaeda operative in Europe arrived in Jordan today to face retrial on terrorism charges after his deportation from Britain, ending a decade-long legal battle over his fate. The return of 53-year-old Abu Qatada was viewed as a victory in Jordan, whose...

200 US Troops Headed to Jordan—and It's a Big Deal

LAT explains it's the first acknowledged step toward military involvement in Syria

(Newser) - Some 200 US troops are headed to Jordan, where some US troops are already stationed. So why is this deployment notable? How it's being played:
  • The Los Angeles Times pulls no punches in its explanation: "The move marks the first deployment that Pentagon officials explicitly described as a
...

Syria Rebels Free 21 UN Peacekeepers

Rebel faction held them 4 days, gave in to pressure

(Newser) - Syrian rebels today freed 21 UN peacekeepers after holding them hostage for four days, ending a sudden entanglement with the world body that earned those trying to oust President Bashar Assad a flood of negative publicity. The Filipino peacekeepers, part of a force that has spent four decades monitoring an...

CIA Nabs bin Laden's Son-in-Law

With a little assist from Turkey

(Newser) - The CIA quietly captured Osama bin Laden's son-in-law last week and spirited him away to the US, a Turkish newspaper reported today. Turkish authorities first seized Sulaiman Abu Ghaith last month at a luxury Ankara hotel thanks to a CIA tip-off, the AFP reports. The CIA had asked Turkey...

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