| Follow us on:
|
![Islamic State fighters have consolidated their hold on large swathes of Iraq and Syria, but analysts fear they may now have advanced anti-aircraft weaponry [AP]](http://thebricspost.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/AP435124519348-e1402986031328.jpg)
Islamic State fighters have consolidated their hold on large swathes of Iraq and Syria, but analysts fear they may now have advanced anti-aircraft weaponry [AP]
The Syrian Observatory of Human Rights issued a report on Wednesday indicating that 1,171 ISIL had been killed by air strikes since the US formed a coalition of Arab allies to launch aerial warfare against the group.
Last week, the Observatory said that more than 200,000 people had been killed in the civil war between the government of President Bashar Al-Assad and rebels seeking his ouster.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon said it had launched 17 air strikes against ISIL positions in both Iraq and Syria.
However, ISIL claimed on Wednesday that it had shot down an F-16 fighter jet near the northern city of Raqqa and captured its Jordanian pilot.
The US military denied that any F-16 fighters had been shot down, but late on Wednesday ISIL social media networks published what appeared to be an image of the pilot surrounded by its fighters.
Military sources have told the media that a Jordanian pilot successfully ejected from his F-16 fighter jet, adding that the cause of his aircraft’s demise was yet unknown.
ISIL video posted on social media appeared to show the pilot being extracted from a lake by Islamist fighters.
A Jordanian official confirmed that the pilot was indeed an airman from their air force, and indicated to the Associated Press that the F-16 may have been downed by fire from the ground.
“Jordan holds the Islamic State accountable for the safety of the pilot and preserving his life,” the army said in a statement.
Source: Agencies
