Jordan executes jihadis after Isis killing of pilot

Jordan executed two jihadist prisoners before dawn on Wednesday in reprisal for the burning alive of its pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh by militant group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as Isis.

Jordanian state television reported before 6am the death by hanging of Sajida al-Rishawi - a woman who was subject last week of a mooted prisoner swap involving Kenji Goto, a Japanese hostage of Isis - and Ziyad Karboli, an Iraqi al-Qaeda operative.

The Jordanian government had vowed to deliver a "strong" response to the murder of Mr Kasaesbeh after a video was uploaded on Tuesday evening showing the pilot burning alive in a cage, spliced together with commentary on Jordan's role in the anti-Isis coalition and threats to other Jordanian pilots.

Ms Rishawi was serving a death sentence for her role in a string of suicide bombings at three hotels in Amman in 2005 that killed 56 people. She was apprehended after the explosive vest she was wearing failed to detonate. Mr Karboli was convicted in 2007 of "plotting terror acts that led to the deaths of innocent persons", Jordan's interior ministry said in a statement confirming the executions.

Word of Mr Kasaesbeh's killing brought widespread condemnation, both in Jordan and overseas.

Jordan's army said the pilot had been killed on January 3, less than two weeks after he was reported captured when his plane was shot down near Raqqa, Syria.

Release of the video of the pilot's death coincided with a visit by Jordan's pro-western King Abdullah to the US, which he cut short to return home.

The Jordanian monarch, who has put his country at the centre of the US-led coalition against Isis, said in a televised speech on Tuesday evening that his countrymen were reacting with "sorrow, grief and anger" to the "martyrdom" of the pilot at the hands of "terrorist and cowardly" Isis.

Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood movement condemned the killing, saying in a statement quoted by the state-owned Petra news agency that Mr Kasaesbeh's immolation was a "criminal act (that) violated the rights of prisoners of war in Islam" and was a "heinous" form of revenge.

The pilot's imprisonment and an offer by Isis to swap Ms Rishawi for Japanese journalist Kenji Goto last week transfixed Jordanians, and brought protests by family members and others pressing the Jordanian government to do more to secure the pilot's release. Mr Goto was reported dead at the weekend after Isis released a video showing his beheading.

On social media, Jordanians expressed grief and anger over Mr Kasaesbeh's death, with some using the hashtag #WeareMuath.

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The UN Security Council on Tuesday evening condemned the "apparent murder" of Mr Kasaesbeh.

"This crime once again demonstrates the brutality of Isil", the body said, using an alternative acronym for Isis, "which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities, without any regard to any basic value of humanity."

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