AMMAN, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Jordan Armed Forces on Wednesday said the Islamic State (IS) downed a Jordanian plane and arrested its pilot in Syria, the state-run Petra news agency reported.
The pilot was part of a group of Jordanian fighter jets conducting a military mission against the IS terrorist organization.
"Jordan holds the Islamic State accountable for the safety of the pilot and preserving his life," the army said in a statement.
Relatives of the captured pilot, Mouath Kasasbeh, called on the authorities to take efforts to secure his release.
Earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, reported that the IS militants have downed a war jet that is believed to belong to the international anti-terror coalition near Syria's northern al-Raqqa province. The pilot's fate remains unknown.
The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV cited IS reports as saying that they downed the plane over al-Raqqa and captured its Jordanian pilot.
The U.S.-led anti-terror coalition has been striking IS positions in Syria since September, in which many Arab countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have participated.
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