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IS publishes interview of captured Jordanian pilot saying F-16 was downed by missile

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ANI London
Last Updated : Dec 30 2014 | 5:51 PM IST

In an interview published by the Islamic State in its monthly English-language magazine, the Jordanian pilot who is being held hostage by the terror group, said that his jet was shot down by a missile.

According to The Independent, in his statements in the extremist group's Dabiq magazine, First Lietuenant Muadh Safi Yusuf al-Kasasbeh says his F-16 was shot down on Wednesday by a heat-seeking missile near the Islamic State group's de facto capital of Raqqa.

The 26-year old from al-Karak said that his plane was struck by a heat-seeking missile during an operation to destroy anti-aircraft weaponry of the IS.

He said that he heard and felt the missile hit the plane, adding that the other Jordanian pilot in the mission contacted him from a participating jet and told him that he was struck and that fire was coming out of the rear nozzle of the engine.

The pilot said that he ejected from the aircraft and landed in the Euphrates River, where he was taken captive by IS fighters, the report added.

US says that the Islamic State (IS) did not shoot down the Jordanian plane that crashed in Syria.

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According to the BBC, while the IS militants claim that the group shot down the plane with a heat-seeking missile, the US said "evidence clearly indicates" that this was not true.

The terror group had published photographs to show that the pilot was now their hostage.

US Central Command (Centcom) strongly condemned the actions of IS, and confirmed that the pilot had been taken captive by the group, the report said.

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First Published: Dec 30 2014 | 5:38 PM IST

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