“We will never allow the scourge of ISIL to spread to other countries, or the death of Lieutenant al-Kasaesbeh and thousands of innocent victims to be forgotten,” Kerry said on Tuesday.
Currently, IS, a terrorist group also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has captured areas in Iraq and Syria, where it declared a caliphate.
Earlier on Tuesday, images posted by the Islamic State on social media showed Kasaesbeh, who was held hostage since December, being burnt alive. Local authorities confirmed the execution took place a month ago.
“Our support for the Arab coalition united against this terrorist organization will not rest until ISIL can no longer threaten the region and their lies and deceptions are clear to all,” Kerry said.
Kerry extended condolences to Kasaesbeh’s family, Jordan’s King Abdullah, and the Jordanian military, and said US support for Jordan and the Jordanian people remains strong and steadfast.
Sources in the Jordanian government disclosed plans to local media to avenge Kasaesbeh’s death by executing six IS-affiliated terrorists, including Sajida al-Rishawi, a failed Iraqi suicide bomber that the IS tried to rescue.
