Jordan executes Qaeda prisoners amid calls to further avenge ISIL killing

The father of a Jordanian fighter pilot burned to death by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has demanded further revenge against the group, as Jordan’s vow of an “earth-shattering” response to the ISIL killing began with the execution of two Al-Qaeda-linked prisoners Wednesday.

Would-be Iraqi suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi and Al-Qaeda member Ziad al-Karbouli were hanged at dawn a day after gruesome footage of the burning death of ISIL captive Moaz al-Kassasbeh emerged.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Safi al-Kassasbeh, the pilot’s father, said that the execution of the two Al-Qaeda-linked prisoners was not enough.

"I demand none of them among us be kept alive,” the grieving father told Al Jazeera. “I demand the revenge be greater than executing prisoners. I demand the ISIL organization be annihilated."

Moaz al-Kassasbeh was captured after his plane went down over Raqqa, Syria, in December.

Jordan has not announced further executions, but a government security source on Tuesday told pan-Arab news website Al-Arabiya that "the death sentence will be carried out on a group of jihadists, starting with Rishawi, as well as Iraqi Al-Qaeda operative Ziad Karbuli and others who attacked Jordan's interests."

Jordanian state television reported Wednesday that King Abdullah II cut short his visit to Washington, D.C. He urged national unity and called the killing a cowardly act of terrorism by a criminal group that has no relation to Islam.

Kassasbeh's murder has prompted widespread shock and anger in Jordan, and the Jordanian military has vowed to avenge his death. Some analysts believe it could escalate its involvement in the campaign against ISIL, which has seized large areas of Iraq and Syria, Jordan’s neighbors to the north and east.

Syria urged Jordan to join its fight against ISIL, and Al-Qaeda’s Syrian wing condemned Kassasbeh’s killing as "heinous," Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Wednesday. The U.S. has ruled out Syria as a partner in the campaign against ISIL, describing President Bashar al-Assad as part of the problem.

Jordan is a major U.S. ally in the fight against insurgent groups and hosted U.S. troops during operations that led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is home to hundreds of U.S. military trainers bolstering defenses at the borders with Syria and Iraq.

U.S. officials said on Tuesday that the pilot’s death would likely harden Jordan’s position as a member of the coalition against ISIL.

Despite his call for revenge against ISIL ahead of his son's funeral, Safi al-Kassasbeh previously condemned Jordan's role in the coalition. After his son was captured, he told NPR that he did not agreed with his son's role in the campaign.

"I wasn't OK with it at all," Safi al-Kassasbeh said. "And all Jordanians strongly condemn our participation in the coalition. Our army is for defending Jordan. It's not supposed to spread throughout the world like American forces."

Moaz al-Kassasbeh was born in the Jordanian city of Karak in 1988, one of eight children, from a prominent tribe. The family is known to be strong supporters of the monarchy and military, Al-Arabiya reported.

In the pilot’s home village of Ay, mourners said Jordanians must rally around the state. Thousands attended the mass memorial.

Kassasbeh was being held by ISIL along with Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. The armed group had demanded Rishawi’s release in exchange for Goto’s life. But the group beheaded Goto — prompting international condemnation.

Al Jazeera and wire services