Jordan Launches Airstrikes, Vows War Against Islamic State

Jordan launched airstrikes this week and vowed war against the Islamic State after the terrorist group executed Jordanian air pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh.

Jordan's King Abdullah said Thursday that he will wage a war against the terrorist group on their own territory. The Islamic State posted a video earlier this week showing Lt. Kasaesbeh being burned alive in a cage. The pilot had been captured by the terrorist group after his fighter plane crashed in Syria.

"We are fighting this war to protect our faith, our values and humanitarian principles, and our fight for these values will be relentless, we will be on the lookout for the criminals and hit them in their own homes," Abdullah said in a statement Thursday during a security meeting, as reported by Reuters.

In response to Kasaesbeh's execution, Jordan executed two al-Qaeda inmates before dawn on Wednesday, including one female suicide bomber.

According to USA Today, Jordanian jets have already begun to hit Islamic State targets in Syria.

"Jordan and its Arab army's response to what its son had suffered in the criminal and cowardly act, will be harsh, because this terrorist organization is not only fighting us, but fighting the true Islam and its values," Abdullah added during the security meeting.

The U.S. has confirmed the validity of the video that shows Kasaesbeh's gruesome murder.

"The U.S. intelligence community has no reason to doubt the authenticity of the video," Brian P. Hale, director of public relations for the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence, told Voice of America.