Islamic State Claims to Have Captured Jordanian Pilot

The Islamic State released a video this week that claims to show a hostage Jordanian pilot whose plane went down in Syria last week.

The interview video, released in the Islamic State's English magazine Dabiq, shows 26-year-old First Lieutenant Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh saying that his F-15 fighter pilot was downed over the Syrian village of Raqqa last week.

In the short question-and-answer interview, conducted by a hostage journalist, Kaseasbeh says that his plane was allegedly downed by a "heat-sinking missile," although foreign governments have refuted the Islamic State's ability to fire such missiles.

The 26-year-old Jordanian pilot is the first international pilot to be held captive by the Islamic State since the U.S. and other countries announced an airstrike plan against the terrorist group.

"We entered the region of ar-Raqqah to sweep the area, then the striker jets entered to begin their attack," the pilot said. "My plane was struck by a heat-seeking missile. I heard and felt its hit. The other Jordanian pilot in the mission – the first lieutenant pilot Saddām Mardīnī – contacted me from a participating jet and told me that I was struck and that fire was coming out of the rear nozzle of my engine."

"I checked the system display and it indicated that the engine was damaged and burning. The plane began to deviate from its normal flight path, so I ejected," Kaseasbeh continued.

"I landed in the Furāt River by parachute and the seat caught on some ground, keeping me fixed, until I was captured by soldiers of the Islamic State," the pilot added.

The 26-year-old pilot added that the Islamic State "will kill me" if he's not rescued from the terrorist group.