US, Jordan Deny ISIS Shot Down Jet, Jordanian Parliament Issues Warning

The governments of Jordan and the United States have denied that the Islamic State shot down a fighter jet, allowing IS to take the pilot hostage, while the Jordanian Parliament issued a strong warning to IS against harming the pilot.

Sputnik reports that officials in both the Jordanian and US militaries have said that mechanical failure is a more likely cause for the crash of the F-16 than a missile fired by the Islamic State.

Because the wreckage is deep within ISIS territory, there is no way for journalists or other independent bodies to evaluate the wreckage and make a definitive judgement about the exact circumstances surrounding the plane's crash.

ISIS has taken control of a number of Syrian and Iraqi military installations and all of the equipment therein. Because of this, it is quite possible that ISIS possesses the tools it needs to down an aircraft like an F-16. The major question regarding ISIS' role in that regard is if ISIS forces possess the technical knowhow to put those tools to work.

The New York Times reports that after the pilot's capture was known, the Jordanian Parliament threatened ISIS with "grave consequences," if they harmed the pilot. The pilot's family also issued statements where they asked that IS treat the pilot like a guest.

The pilot's fate is far from guaranteed as ISIS takes pride in releasing gruesome videos where they execute people they have taken prisoner. The Times notes that on a jihadist website that first released photos of the pilot, a poll asking what to do with the prisoner had appeared. The three options on the poll were negotiation, shooting, or stabbing.