Islamic State terrorists claim they shot down a coalition aircraft on Wednesday with a heat-seeking missile and have taken a Jordanian pilot captive.
Reports claim a downed aircraft in Raqqa, Syria is part of the U.S. coalition and a hostage has been taken. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the United Kingdom, reports that the aircraft, belonging to an Arab state, was shot down while flying sorties (missions), according to BBC News.
Photos have been published of a Jordanian airman surrounded by gunmen. Other photos show Islamic State members or supporters offering up thanks for the capture. The images can not be verified, according to BBC News, but the pro-IS Raqqa Media Center posted the photos on its Facebook page with the caption that the man is a Royal Jordanian Air Force flight lieutenant.
Reports in the area are difficult to verify due to restricted media access in the strike zone, according to Reuters via Yahoo. The Raqqa province borders Turkey and is almost completely controlled by IS.
Jordan officials have not commented on the incident, but if confirmed, this will be the first time a coalition aircraft has been shot down since airstrikes against IS started in September, according to BBC News.
The Syrian Observatory said that "its network of activists" reported IS has taken "an Arab pilot prisoner after shooting his plane down with an anti-aircraft missile near the city of Raqqa," according to BBC News.
Islamic State claims the war craft was shot down with a heat-seeking missile, according to BBC News.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have had some type of participation or provided support for the airstrikes, according to Reuters. No word from authorities from those countries if this aircraft take-down will affect their participation.
