Jordan goes tit-for-tat with ISIS after execution

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Islamic State militants put to death a captured Jordanian fighter pilot by burning him alive in a cage, according to a video the group released Tuesday. The kingdom, which had vowed a swift and lethal response, executed two al-Qaida prisoners by hanging early Wednesday, a government spokesman said.

The pilot's gruesome death sparked outrage and street demonstrations in Jordan, where the country's participation in the anti-IS coalition has not been popular. The video emerged after a weeklong drama over a possible prisoner exchange for a female al-Qaida operative imprisoned in Jordan who was one of the two prisoners executed.

The Jordanian military confirmed the death of 26-year-old Lt. Muath Al-Kaseasbeh, who was captured by the extremists in December when his F-16 crashed while he was flying a mission as part of the U.S.-led air campaign against the Islamic State group. He was the first airman participating in the U.S.-led bombing raids against Islamic State positions in Syria and Iraq to be captured by the militants.

In Washington, Jordan's King Abdullah II and President Barack Obama vowed in a hastily arranged White House meeting not to let up in the fight against Islamic State. Jordan, a staunch Western ally, is a member of the coalition.

Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman, was executed before daybreak Wednesday, along with another prisoner, Zaid al-Karbouly, also linked to al-Qaida, said government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani. Another official said they were executed by hanging.