U.S. Attempts to Free Jordanian ISIS Hostage, Blocked Twice by Heavy Fire
The U.S. Special Forces two attempts to rescue hostages held by Islamic State terrorists in Syria were thwarted on Thursday night.
American military operatives abandoned the mission to free a Jordanian fighter pilot held hostage by ISIS after heavy fire resulting in one helicopter coming down, according to the Daily Mail. Both coalition forces and militants clashed over the pilot who was taken captive by Islamist terrorist last week during a mission in Syria.
Early Friday morning, fighter jets heavily bombed the area surrounding the house where the pilot, Moaz Safi Yousef al-Kassasbeh, is reportedly being held, reported Turkey's Anadolou news service. Two U.S. military helicopters were intended to rescue to pilot, but heavy fire prevented the helicopters from safely entering the area.
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Although the U.S. had carried out heavy airstrikes on Raqqa in order to rescue the pilot, the mission failed. It is said that ISIS will execute al-Kassabeh on Friday. The family of the pilot has begged ISIS to release him.
On Wednesday, the U.S. reported that al-Kassabeh's warplane,a Jordanian F-16, was not shot down by ISIS as the group claimed, but that the pilot is in fact being held hostage by the terrorists. The 26-year-old pilot is the first foreign military man held captive by ISIS since an international coalition began its aerial campaign against the extremists in September.
The two failed rescue attempts in Raqqa, which is ISIS's unofficial capital city, were confirmed by Abu Ibrihim al-Raquaoui, an activist and administrator for the secret anti-ISIS campaign Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently.
The Islamic terrorist group is accused of torturing and murdering prisoners, including teenagers and children, and forcing many to convert to Islam or die. ISIS is responsible for nearly 6,000 executions in Syria alone in the past six months.
