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Jordan says it launched 56 airstrikes against Daesh militants

Jordanian officials have delivered tough warnings to Daesh, saying the retaliation campaign would not stop until the group has been destroyed.

In this image made from undated video provided by Jordanian military via Jordan TV, explosions go off as the military carried out airstrikes at an undisclosed location in Syria.-AP

Amman - Jordan has launched 56 airstrikes against Daesh group weapons depots, training centres and military barracks since militants released a video of them burning a Jordanian pilot to death, Jordan’s air force chief said on Sunday.

Jordanian officials have said they would retaliate harshly for the slaying of the pilot, Lt. Maaz Al Kassasbeh, who was set ablaze while trapped in a cage.

Since Thursday, the Jordanian air force has attacked and destroyed 56 militant targets, the air force chief, Gen. Mansour Al Jabour, told reporters. This includes 19 targets on the first day, 18 on the second and 19 on the third, he said.

“We achieved what we were looking for: revenge for Maaz,” the general said. “And this is not the end. This is the beginning.”

In recent days, Jordanian officials have delivered tough warnings to Daesh, saying the retaliation campaign would not stop until the group has been destroyed.

The United States and several Arab allies, including Jordan, have been striking the militant group in Syria since September 23, while warplanes from the US and other countries have been waging an air campaign against the extremists in Iraq for even longer. The campaign aims to push back the militants after it took large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Al Jabour said coalition planes have flown 5,500 sorties since the beginning of the air campaign, including 2,000 reconnaissance flights. He did not say whether this included flights over both Syria and Iraq. He said Jordan’s air force participated in 946 sorties.

The general said about 7,000 militants have been killed since the beginning of the coalition airstrikes, without elaborating.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have been participating in the Syria airstrikes, with logistical support from Qatar.

The UAE announced on Saturday it was sending a squadron of F-16 fighters to Jordan. A Jordanian official said they would participate in airstrikes.