Yahoo! News: Iraq

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• NBC's Brian Williams apologizes for telling false Iraq story
• NBC's Brian Williams apologizes for Iraq story after soldiers protest
• Russia seeks UN resolution to prevent terrorist ransom money
• Al-Azhar: top Sunni Muslim body condemns IS
• What does White House want from next Defense secretary? Clues at hearing
• IS defeats in north Iraq reveal evidence of atrocities
• Suppression of Islamic State more realistic than elimination - MPs
• Suppression of Islamic State more realistic than elimination: UK lawmakers
• Cameras appear in court for first time in Cook County
• Pentagon nominee vows to resolve Jordan arms sales delays
• NBC News' Brian Williams admits he wasn't on aircraft in Iraq
• UN diplomats: Iraq envoy Mladenov to be new UN Mideast envoy
• France knife attack sparks security questions
• Congress Finally Confronts Veteran Suicide Epidemic
• Obama's pick to run Pentagon grilled on Capitol Hill
• UN secretary-general to meet new Saudi king this weekend
• Obama's pick to run Pentagon grilled by lawmakers
• Prospective jurors cite conflicts in marathon bombing trial
• Jordan says IS can be defeated; uproar over burn video
• Second defeat for GOP on Homeland, immigration bill
• Anger, grief in Mideast at IS killing of Jordanian pilot
• UAE pulled out of IS air war after pilot capture: US officials
• Lawmakers support more military aid to Jordan fight IS
• Five foreigners among 13 killed in Libya oil field attack
• Pilot murder boosts Jordan support for IS fight
• Jeb Bush, looking to 2016, tackles questions about Bush name
• Jordan king vows harsh response to IS after pilot murder
• Westerners join Kurds fighting Islamic State group in Iraq
• ISIS Outrage Dominates Ash Carter’s Senate Hearing
• Gunmen kill 12 Libyans, foreigners at oilfield raid
• Jeb Bush stumbles on Yemen in speech
• Jordanian king vows 'relentless' war on Islamic State's own ground
• Jeb Bush says he can't be 'just the brother of George W' in 2016
• Biden heads to Europe amid intensive diplomacy on Ukraine
• 'I Expect the Jordanian Government to Seek Revenge'
• UAE stops airstrikes in anti-Islamic State coalition: U.S. officials
• Fox News posts Jordanian pilot execution video on website
• Russia leads U.N. initiative to target Islamic State financing
• Which weapons does Kiev need, and what can US provide?
• Killing of Jordanian pilot bolsters king's case for war

NBC's Brian Williams apologizes for telling false Iraq story Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:52 PM PST NEW YORK (AP) — NBC "Nightly News" anchor Brian Williams has admitted he spread a false story about being on a helicopter that came under enemy fire while he was reporting in Iraq in 2003.

NBC's Brian Williams apologizes for Iraq story after soldiers protest Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:37 PM PST NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams said on Wednesday he was sorry for "making a mistake" when he said he was on a helicopter that was hit and forced down by rocket fire during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, after soldiers complained it was not true. Williams made the claim on his broadcast last Friday while reporting a tribute at a New York Rangers hockey game for a retired soldier who provided ground security during the incident. Williams said he and his news crew were protected by a mechanized platoon from the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry after their Chinook helicopter was crippled by enemy fire.

Russia seeks UN resolution to prevent terrorist ransom money Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:31 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia is pressing for adoption of a new U.N. resolution aimed at preventing terrorists from collecting ransom payments or money from the illegal sale of oil or antiquities.

Al-Azhar: top Sunni Muslim body condemns IS Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:25 PM PST Al-Azhar, the prestigious seat of Islamic learning that is based in Cairo but respected by Sunni Muslims across the world, has steadfastly condemned gruesome executions claimed by the Islamic State group. The millennium-old institution has emerged as a leading theological centre of Sunni Islam, the main branch of the religion, and shows a will to promote moderate Islam and dialogue with Christians. It was swift in denouncing the immolation of a Jordanian fighter pilot by IS, which claims to have established an Islamic caliphate and imposes an extreme version of Islamic law in territories it controls in Iraq and Syria. The group, accused by the United Nations of carrying out ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity, has regularly claimed to have carried out beheadings and kidnappings in Syria and Iraq.

What does White House want from next Defense secretary? Clues at hearing Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:21 PM PST When Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced that he was stepping down last year, there was a great deal of speculation about what, precisely, the White House wanted from its new nominee, Ashton Carter. The Defense secretary's focus has had to shift to a host of new challenges in the past year: the rise of the Islamic State, Russian aggression in Crimea, and a need to better train security forces in Iraq. With all these balls in the air, Dr. Carter offered some insights into his priorities –and, in turn, those of the White House – at his confirmation hearing Wednesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Now, the rise of the Islamic State is at the top of Carter's to-do list.

IS defeats in north Iraq reveal evidence of atrocities Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:11 PM PST Dirt-covered skulls and bones scattered among ragged clothing in a ditch in north Iraq are all that remain of some two dozen people believed to have been murdered by the Islamic State group. The recently discovered site is not unique, and more evidence of IS atrocities will likely emerge as areas retaken from the jihadists by Kurdish forces are searched, a task made more difficult by explosives they left behind. "Three mass graves have been confirmed -- two in the Hardan area and the other in Sinuni," said Myaser Haji Saleh, the local official responsible for the Sinjar district in the northern province of Nineveh, where the sites are located. "But we believe that the biggest graves are in the centre of the Sinjar district and areas that are now under (IS) control," Saleh said.

Suppression of Islamic State more realistic than elimination - MPs Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:07 PM PST By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Containing Islamic State may be a more realistic strategy than defeating it, a committee of British lawmakers said, calling on Britain to play a greater role in the fight against the militants in Iraq and Syria. Britain has so far taken part in U.S.-led air strikes against the Islamist group in Iraq, but not Syria. Parliament's defence committee said in a report released on Thursday that these actions were "strikingly modest", with on average less than one air strike a day, and said it was "surprised and deeply concerned" Britain was not doing more. The Iraqi security forces are weak and lack resources, the committee said, while the country's communities are divided and regional powers remain deeply suspicious of each other.

Suppression of Islamic State more realistic than elimination: UK lawmakers Posted: 04 Feb 2015 04:07 PM PST By Kylie MacLellan LONDON (Reuters) - Containing Islamic State may be a more realistic strategy than defeating it, a committee of British lawmakers said, calling on Britain to play a greater role in the fight against the militants in Iraq and Syria. Britain has so far taken part in U.S.-led air strikes against the Islamist group in Iraq, but not Syria. Parliament's defense committee said in a report released on Thursday that these actions were "strikingly modest", with on average less than one air strike a day, and said it was "surprised and deeply concerned" Britain was not doing more. The Iraqi security forces are weak and lack resources, the committee said, while the country's communities are divided and regional powers remain deeply suspicious of each other.

Cameras appear in court for first time in Cook County Posted: 04 Feb 2015 03:58 PM PST CHICAGO (AP) — Two men who acted as lookouts during the killing of an off-duty Chicago police officer were sentenced to life in prison Wednesday in the first Cook County criminal court hearing to be recorded by news cameras.

Pentagon nominee vows to resolve Jordan arms sales delays Posted: 04 Feb 2015 03:25 PM PST By Andrea Shalal and Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's nominee for defense secretary on Wednesday vowed to cut through "red tape" slowing U.S. arms deliveries to Jordan, which plans to step up its fight against Islamic State after the killing of a captured Jordanian pilot. Ashton Carter, a former No. 2 Pentagon official, told the Senate Armed Services Committee it was important for Jordan to be able to acquire the weapons it needed, and he would work to address concerns raised by King Abdullah during a meeting with committee members on Tuesday. "We need partners on the ground to beat ISIS," Carter told the committee during a hearing on his nomination, adding that Jordan need help in fighting a "savage and nasty" foe.

NBC News' Brian Williams admits he wasn't on aircraft in Iraq Posted: 04 Feb 2015 03:10 PM PST For many years the NBC Nightly News anchor has claimed he was aboard a U.S. Air Force helicopter that was hit by two rockets and grounded during the 2003 Iraq invasion. But after his latest iteration of the story prompted protest from soldiers, Williams admitted it wasn't true.

UN diplomats: Iraq envoy Mladenov to be new UN Mideast envoy Posted: 04 Feb 2015 03:04 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. diplomats say the Security Council has given a green light to the appointment of Nikolay Mladenov as the U.N.'s top Mideast envoy, replacing Robert Serry.

France knife attack sparks security questions Posted: 04 Feb 2015 02:31 PM PST A man questioned Wednesday over knife attacks on three soldiers outside a Jewish centre in Nice has told investigators of his hatred of Jews and the military, a source close to the investigation said. The attacker, identified as 30-year-old Moussa Coulibaly, was already known to police who questioned him just days before the attack, when he was turned away from Turkey last week. Police arrested him immediately after he knifed the soldiers in broad daylight on Tuesday while they were patrolling outside the Jewish centre in the French Riviera city as part of reinforced security measures introduced after last month's jihadist attacks in Paris that left 17 people dead. Coulibaly on Wednesday spoke of his hatred of France, Jews, the police and military, the source said.

Congress Finally Confronts Veteran Suicide Epidemic Posted: 04 Feb 2015 02:23 PM PST In the final days of the lame duck Congress last December, an emotional squabble over legislation aimed at combatting an epidemic of suicides among U.S. veterans played out on the Senate floor. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) voiced exasperation as retiring Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), a noted deficit hawk and critic of government waste, single-handedly blocked a final vote on the measure, saying that the Department of Veterans Affairs already had programs addressing the suicide problem. Coburn insisted that despite overwhelming support for the bill in the House and Senate, it would be a waste of $22 million over the coming five years. On Tuesday, the Senate voted 99 to 0 to approve the House-passed bill and sent it to President Obama for his certain signature.

Obama's pick to run Pentagon grilled on Capitol Hill Posted: 04 Feb 2015 02:21 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's pick to run the Pentagon was grilled Wednesday by Republicans who used his confirmation hearing to criticize White House foreign policy on every front — from battling Islamic State militants to supporting Ukraine to trying to shutter the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

UN secretary-general to meet new Saudi king this weekend Posted: 04 Feb 2015 02:04 PM PST UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations secretary-general says he will meet with Saudi Arabia's newly enthroned king this weekend during a visit to the Middle East.

Obama's pick to run Pentagon grilled by lawmakers Posted: 04 Feb 2015 02:01 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's pick to run the Pentagon was grilled Wednesday by Republicans who used his confirmation hearing to criticize White House foreign policy on every front — from battling Islamic State militants to supporting Ukraine to trying to shutter the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay.

Prospective jurors cite conflicts in marathon bombing trial Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:58 PM PST BOSTON (AP) — In a quest to find impartial jurors in the trial of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the middle school language arts teacher seemed to fit the bill.

Jordan says IS can be defeated; uproar over burn video Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:52 PM PST AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — Jordan called Wednesday for a decisive battle against the Islamic State group, declaring "this evil can and should be defeated," after the militants burned a Jordanian pilot to death in a cage and gleefully broadcast the horrific images on outdoor screens in their stronghold.

Second defeat for GOP on Homeland, immigration bill Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:50 PM PST Senate Republicans put Democrats on record for a second time Wednesday against legislation combining Homeland Security funding with rollbacks of President Barack Obama's immigration policies. But there ...

Anger, grief in Mideast at IS killing of Jordanian pilot Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:49 PM PST CAIRO (AP) — The horrific fate of a captured Jordanian pilot, burned to death by the Islamic State group, unleashed a wave of grief and rage on Wednesday across the Middle East, a region long riven by upheavals and violence. Political and religious leaders united in outrage and condemnation, saying the slaying of the airman goes against Islam's teachings.

UAE pulled out of IS air war after pilot capture: US officials Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:47 PM PST The United Arab Emirates withdrew from coalition air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria after the capture of a Jordanian pilot since murdered by the jihadists, US officials said Wednesday. The UAE pulled out of the flights soon after the pilot fell into IS hands in December, a US official told AFP, stressing that the Gulf Arab nation still offers access to important air bases for American aircraft and other support for the coalition effort. "I can confirm that UAE suspended air strikes shortly after the Jordanian pilot's plane went down," the official said. "But let me be clear that UAE continues to be an important and valuable partner that is contributing to the coalition," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Lawmakers support more military aid to Jordan fight IS Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:15 PM PST WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans and Democrats pressed senior Obama administration officials on Wednesday to move swiftly to provide aircraft parts, night-vision equipment and other weapons to Jordan following a video purporting to show Islamic State militants burning a captured Jordanian air force pilot to death.

Five foreigners among 13 killed in Libya oil field attack Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:08 PM PST Gunmen in Libya killed 13 people, including five foreigners, in an overnight attack on a oil field partially owned by France's Total, a chief security officer said on Wednesday. "Eight Libyans, three Filipinos and two Ghanians were killed in the attack" at the Al-Mabruk field, said officer Hakim Maazzab, the head security guard at a nearby oil complex. Previously, the state-owned National Oil Company had said staff were evacuated from the field. A spokesman for the guards at Libya's oil installations, Ali al-Hassi, accused militants loyal to the Islamic State group of carrying out the attack, without providing details.

Pilot murder boosts Jordan support for IS fight Posted: 04 Feb 2015 01:03 PM PST The burning alive of a Jordanian pilot by the Islamic State group has shocked and angered Jordanians, uniting them behind their government's vow to intensify its military action against the jihadists. Jordan is one of several Arab states to have joined the US-led campaign against IS in Syria and Iraq, and has taken part in air strikes against jihadist positions since September. Concerns were raised at the time that an air war in the two countries, both of which share a border with Jordan, could impact security at home. In a statement Wednesday, King Abdullah II vowed a "severe" response, saying "the blood of martyr Maaz al-Kassasbeh will not be in vain".

Jeb Bush, looking to 2016, tackles questions about Bush name Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:58 PM PST By Steve Holland DETROIT (Reuters) - Republican Jeb Bush made clear on Wednesday he realizes his famous last name could be a hindrance in a 2016 presidential campaign, and said he would work hard to connect with people and "do it on my own." In a speech designed to lay the foundation for a potential White House run, the former Florida governor mixed attacks against President Barack Obama's Middle East policy with promises to run an optimistic campaign based on conservative principles. Bush declared that "parents ought to make sure that their children are vaccinated," separating himself from conservatives in his party in the debate over the reach of government. Bush, who has been out of office since 2007, looked a little rusty on the stump, rapidly reading his prepared remarks to the Detroit Economic Club. As the brother of former President George W. Bush and son of former President George H.W. Bush, he is facing questions about why a third Bush should live in the White House.

Jordan king vows harsh response to IS after pilot murder Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:55 PM PST King Abdullah II vowed Jordan will take tough action after hanging two convicted militants Wednesday in response to the burning alive of one of its pilots by the Islamic State group. The gruesome murder of airman Maaz al-Kassasbeh triggered international condemnation and prompted Jordan to execute two Iraqis on death row -- female would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi and Al-Qaeda operative Ziad al-Karboli. Abdullah cut short a visit to the United States and flew back to Amman, where he was greeted by large crowds at the airport before meeting with his security chiefs. "The blood of martyr Maaz al-Kassasbeh will not be in vain and the response of Jordan and its army after what happened to our dear son will be severe," he said afterwards.

Westerners join Kurds fighting Islamic State group in Iraq Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:40 PM PST SINJAR, Iraq (AP) — As Kurdish fighters gathered around a fire in this damp, frigid mountain town in northwestern Iraq, exhausted from battling the Islamic State group, a surprising recruit wearing a tactical vest with the words "Christ is Lord" scribbled on it joined them.

ISIS Outrage Dominates Ash Carter’s Senate Hearing Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:34 PM PST They may not have vowed Clint Eastwood-style retribution against ISIS for the burning death of a Jordanian military pilot – as King Abdullah did in Washington on Tuesday. Carter, during his Senate confirmation hearing today, said it wouldn't be enough to simply defeat the terrorists and take back massive chunks of Iraq and Syria. "I say lasting because it's important that when they get defeated, they stay defeated," said Carter, a former deputy defense secretary and trained physicist nominated by President Obama to succeed Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense.

Gunmen kill 12 Libyans, foreigners at oilfield raid Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:25 PM PST By Feras Bosalum and Ayman al-Warfalli TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Gunmen killed 12 people, among them two Filipino and two Ghanaian nationals, after storming a remote, Libyan oilfield, a Libyan official said on Wednesday. "Most were beheaded or killed by gunfire," said Abdelhakim Maazab, commander of a security force in charge of protecting the al-Mabrook oilfield, some 170 km (105 miles) south of the Mediterranean city of Sirte. A French diplomatic source in Paris and another Libyan official said Islamic State militants were behind the attack, which took place on Tuesday night. The violence followed an assault on a hotel in Tripoli last week that killed nine people, including five foreigners, underscoring the deteriorating security situation in Libya more than three years after the downfall of Muammar Gaddafi.

Jeb Bush stumbles on Yemen in speech Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:13 PM PST Republican Jeb Bush stumbled on foreign policy in a big speech on Wednesday, telling a crowd that American diplomats have been withdrawn from Yemen, when in fact not all of them have been. Bush, at the Detroit Economic Club, criticized President Barack Obama's handling of the Islamic State threat and cited the case of Yemen. The big, huge victory in Yemen that the president has talked about lasted about six months. Now we've closed the ... there are no embassy personnel in Yemen's capital.

Jordanian king vows 'relentless' war on Islamic State's own ground Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:02 PM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - Jordan's King Abdullah vowed a "relentless" war against Islamic State on their own territory on Wednesday in response to a video published by the hard-line group showing a captured Jordanian air force pilot being burned alive in a cage. Jordan hanged two Iraqi jihadists, one a woman, on Wednesday and vowed to intensify military action against Islamic State. U.S. officials said on Wednesday that the United Arab Emirates had withdrawn from flying air strikes in the U.S.-led coalition campaign against Islamic State after the Jordanian pilot's plane went down over Syria in December. Jordan, which is part of the U.S.-led alliance, had promised an "earth-shaking response" to the killing of its pilot, Mouath al-Kasaesbeh, who was captured after his F-16 crashed.

Jeb Bush says he can't be 'just the brother of George W' in 2016 Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:01 PM PST Jeb Bush says he can't be 'just the brother of George W' if he runs for president. His solution: a policy platform that convinces voters he cares about them.

Biden heads to Europe amid intensive diplomacy on Ukraine Posted: 04 Feb 2015 11:29 AM PST By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will meet top European leaders in Brussels and Munich this week to discuss boosting security and financial aid to Ukraine and tightening economic sanctions on Russia, senior U.S. administration officials said. Biden's visit, which will include trilateral talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, coincides with a debate in Washington over whether to provide weapons to Ukraine in its fight against Russian-backed separatists.

'I Expect the Jordanian Government to Seek Revenge' Posted: 04 Feb 2015 11:23 AM PST On Tuesday, ISIS released a video showing the execution of Muath al-Kaseasbeh, a Jordanian air force pilot who had been held prisoner by Islamic State forces since December. For many Jordanians, Kaseasbeh, who was captured by ISIS in Syria while taking part in U.S.-led coalition airstrikes against the Islamist extremist group, had become a symbol of Jordan's polarizing participation in the campaign against the Islamic State. "I firmly ask whomever has sent Muath to fight outside the borders of Jordan, on a mission unrelated to us, to make strong efforts to bring back Muath," his father told reporters before news of his son's death emerged. Just hours before ISIS released its snuff film, Jordan's unpopular orientation toward the West was on display: Jordan reinstated its ambassador to Israel in Tel Aviv for the first time since the fall, and Nasser Judeh, Jordan's foreign minister, held a press conference with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

UAE stops airstrikes in anti-Islamic State coalition: U.S. officials Posted: 04 Feb 2015 11:19 AM PST The United Arab Emirates has withdrawn from flying air strikes in the U.S.-led international coalition campaign against Islamic State fighters, who are occupying parts of Iraq and Syria, U.S. officials said on Wednesday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the UAE had suspended its participation in the air campaign after a Jordanian air force plane went down over Syria in December. "I can confirm that UAE suspended air strikes shortly after the Jordanian pilot's plane went down, but let me be clear that UAE continues to be an important and valuable partner that is contributing to the coalition," one official said.

Fox News posts Jordanian pilot execution video on website Posted: 04 Feb 2015 10:52 AM PST Fox News broadcast still images of Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh being burned alive by Islamic State jihadists before posting full raw footage from the horrific execution video on its website. Senior officials with the US network, the only major US media outlet to use video footage of Kassasbeh's death, said the decision was taken to highlight the "barbarity" of the IS group. "After careful consideration, we decided that giving readers of FoxNews.com the option to see for themselves the barbarity of ISIS outweighed legitimate concerns about the graphic nature of the video," said John Moody, Fox News executive vice president and executive editor. In a television news bulletin on Tuesday, Fox used graphic images of Kassasbeh's death in its "Special Report" program.

Russia leads U.N. initiative to target Islamic State financing Posted: 04 Feb 2015 10:48 AM PST By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia is leading a U.N. Security Council initiative to ratchet up pressure on countries to cut off the cash flow to Islamic State militants, Russia and council diplomats said on Wednesday. The announcement comes after the 15-nation Security Council condemned Islamic State's burning alive of a captive Jordanian pilot. "We are preparing (the resolution) and we hope it'll be adopted by the U.N. Security Council in the coming days," a spokesman for Russia's United Nations mission said. Russia circulated a draft to the council's other permanent members - the United States, Britain, France and China - and is expected to distribute it to the full council soon, Western diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Which weapons does Kiev need, and what can US provide? Posted: 04 Feb 2015 09:48 AM PST The White House has signalled it may be ready to change tack and start supplying arms to Ukrainian troops battling pro-Russian separatists, but what does Kiev want -- and what can Washington provide? Kiev has said it hopes for an announcement of military aid during a visit by US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday, after a US think-tank report called for a massive upscaling in the quality of weapons available to Ukrainian forces. The US government in November committed $118 million in "non-lethal" equipment and training for the Ukrainian military, of which around half has been delivered, including body armour, night vision glasses, mortar radar and medical equipment. While Ukraine is one of the world's biggest arms producers, it lacks the hi-tech systems needed to match the separatists' arsenal, allegedly supplied by Moscow.

Killing of Jordanian pilot bolsters king's case for war Posted: 04 Feb 2015 09:19 AM PST By Suleiman Al-Khalidi KARAK, Jordan (Reuters) - The brutal killing of a Jordanian pilot by Islamic State militants has triggered a wave of nationalist fervor that may bolster King Abdullah's case for a military campaign his country is waging against the group alongside the United States. In the slain pilot's home region of Karak, criticism voiced of the government's failure to bring home airman Mouath al-Kasaesbeh has given way to demands for revenge and military retribution against Islamic State in Syria. Unable to bury the slain pilot, who was shown burned to death in a cage and then crushed under rubble in a video released on Tuesday, his family received condolences at their home village of Ay near Karak, 100 km (60 miles) south of Amman. Held in a traditional tent adorned with portrait photos of the newlywed 28-year-old Kasaesbeh, the gathering was an occasion for grief but also a show of support for King Abdullah who has faced public criticism over the hostage crisis.

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