السعودية ومصر والإمارات والبحرين تعلن قطع علاقاتها الدبلوماسية مع قطر Six Arab governments, including Egypt, cut ties with Qatar over terrorism and 'meddling'

أعلنت كل من المملكة العربية السعودية ومصر والإمارات ومملكة البحرين، الاثنين 5 يونيو، قطع علاقاتها الدبلوماسية مع دولة قطر.

Yemen and Libya's eastern government have joined Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE in severing ties with Qatar on Monday morning, citing its support for Islamist groups and attempts at destabilization within the region

وجاء، في بيان وكالة الأنباء البحرينية، أن مملكة البحرين تعلن سحب بعثتها الدبلوماسية من الدوحة، وإمهال جميع أفراد البعثة القطرية 48 ساعة لمغادرة البلاد، مع استكمال تطبيق الإجراءات اللازمة. كما أمهلت حكومة البحرين المواطنيين القطريين 14 يوما لمغادرة أراضيها.

Six Arab governments, including Egypt, cut diplomatic ties with Qatar early on Monday morning, with Yemen and Libya's eastern-based government among the latest to join the joint effort to isolate Doha.

وأوردت وكالة الأنباء السعودية أن الرياض تقطع علاقاتها الدبلوماسية والقنصلية مع قطر، ونقلت عن مصدر مسؤول قوله إن المملكة قررت إغلاق كافة المنافذ البرية والبحرية والجوية، ومنع العبور في الأراضي والأجواء والمياه الإقليمية السعودية، والبدء بالإجراءات القانونية الفورية للتفاهم مع الدول الشقيقة والصديقة والشركات الدولية، لتطبيق هذا الإجراء بأسرع وقت ممكن، لكافة وسائل النقل، من وإلى دولة قطر، وذلك لأسباب تتعلق بالأمن الوطني السعودي.

The nations have cited Qatar's support for Islamist groups and alleged meddling in the affairs of other states.

The Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE were among those cutting relations with Qatar, further deepening a rift among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Qatar is a member.

بيان قطع الرياض لعلاقاتها الدبلوماسية مع قطر

تعلن المملكة العربية السعودية أن قطع علاقاتها مع قطر هدفه "حماية أمنها الوطني من مخاطر الإرهاب والتطرف"، ونتهم قطر بإرتكاب "انتهاكات جسيمة سرا وعلنا لشق الصف السعودي".

أن الرياض انطلاقاً من ممارسة حقوقها السيادية التي كفلها القانون الدولي، وحماية لأمنها الوطني من مخاطر الإرهاب والتطرف، فإنها قررت قطع العلاقات الدبلوماسية والقنصلية مع دولة قطر، كما قررت إغلاق كافة المنافذ البرية والبحرية والجوية، ومنع العبور في الأراضي والأجواء والمياه الإقليمية السعودية، والبدء بالإجراءات القانونية الفورية للتفاهم مع الدول الشقيقة والصديقة والشركات الدولية لتطبيق ذات الإجراء بأسرع وقت ممكن لكافة وسائل النقل من وإلى دولة قطر، وذلك لأسباب تتعلق بالأمن الوطني السعودي.

"السعودية اتخذت قرارها الحاسم هذا نتيجة للانتهاكات الجسيمة التي تمارسها السلطات في الدوحة، سرا وعلنا، طوال السنوات الماضية بهدف شق الصف الداخلي السعودي، والتحريض للخروج على الدولة، والمساس بسيادتها، واحتضان جماعات إرهابية وطائفية متعددة تستهدف ضرب الاستقرار في المنطقة"، ومنها جماعة (الإخوان المسلمين) و(داعش) و(القاعدة)، والترويج لأدبيات ومخططات هذه الجماعات عبر وسائل إعلامها بشكل دائم، ودعم نشاطات الجماعات الإرهابية المدعومة من إيران في محافظة القطيف من المملكة العربية السعودية، وفي مملكة البحرين الشقيقة وتمويل وتبني وإيواء المتطرفين الذين يسعون لضرب استقرار ووحدة الوطن في الداخل والخارج، واستخدام وسائل الإعلام التي تسعى إلى تأجيج الفتنة داخليا، كما اتضح للمملكة العربية السعودية الدعم والمساندة من قبل السلطات في الدوحة لميليشيا الحوثي الانقلابية، حتى بعد إعلان تحالف دعم الشرعية في اليمن.

"الرياض إتخذت هذا القرار تضامنا مع مملكة البحرين الشقيقة التي تتعرض لحملات وعمليات إرهابية مدعومة من قبل السلطات في الدوحة".

و"منذ عام 1995، بذلت المملكة العربية السعودية وأشقاؤها جهوداً مضنية ومتواصلة لحث السلطات في الدوحة على الالتزام بتعهداتها، والتقيد بالاتفاقيات، إلا أن هذه السلطات دأبت على نكث التزاماتها الدولية، وخرق الاتفاقات التي وقعتها تحت مظلة دول مجلس التعاون لدول الخليج العربية، بالتوقف عن الأعمال العدائية ضد المملكة، والوقوف ضد الجماعات والنشاطات الإرهابية ، وكان آخر ذلك عدم تنفيذها لاتفاق الرياض".

و أنه "إنفاذاً لقرار قطع العلاقات الدبلوماسية والقنصلية يمنع على المواطنين السعوديين السفر إلى دولة قطر، أو الإقامة فيها، أو المرور عبرها، وعلى المقيمين والزائرين منهم سرعة المغادرة خلال مدة لا تتجاوز 14 يوماً، كما تمنع، بكل أسف، لأسباب أمنية احترازية دخول أو عبور المواطنين القطريين إلى المملكة العربية السعودية، وتمهل المقيمين والزائرين منهم مدة 14 يوماً للمغادرة، مؤكدة التزامها وحرصها على توفير كل التسهيلات والخدمات للحجاج والمعتمرين القطريين".

و أن "المملكة العربية السعودية تؤكد أنها صبرت طويلاً رغم استمرار السلطات في الدوحة على التملص من التزاماتها، والتآمر عليها، حرصاً منها على الشعب القطري الذي هو امتداد طبيعي وأصيل لإخوانه في المملكة، وجزء من أرومتها، وستظل المملكة سنداً للشعب القطري الشقيق وداعمة لأمنه واستقراره بغض النظر عما ترتكبه السلطات في الدوحة من ممارسات عدائية".

The move began on Monday morning with Bahrain announcing that it was cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar and closing all transport links, according to Bahrain's state news agency. Bahrain cited alleged meddling in its internal affairs by Qatar.

Bahrain's action was followed by GCC ally Saudi Arabia, which said it was cutting ties on the grounds of "protection of national security", as announced by the Saudi state news agency.

ولم تمض دقائق حتى اتخذت القاهرة قرارا مشابها، يرتكز على ما تقول إنه دعم الدوحة للتنظيمات الإرهابية وتعزيزها بذور الفتنة والانقسام داخل المجتمعات العربية. وذلك وفق بيان صدر عن الخارجية المصرية.

The the SPA news agency said that Qatar “embraces multiple terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at disturbing stability in the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and promotes the message and schemes of these groups through their media constantly.”

The UAE, Yemen and Egypt then followed suit, with the eastern-based government of war-torn Libya finally joining the diplomatic action to isolate Qatar.

Egypt announced the closure of its airspace and seaports for all Qatari transportation to protect its national security, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

ثم سرعان ما أعلنت أبوظبي تأييد قرارات الدول السابقة ذكرها، فقررت بدورها إغلاق كافة المنافذ البحرية والجوية أمام الحركة القادمة والمغادرة إلى قطر خلال 24 ساعة.

وقالت وكالة أنباء الإمارات، على حسابها في موقع "تويتر": "الإمارات، تقرر قطع العلاقات مع قطر، بما فيها العلاقات الدبلوماسية وإمهال البعثة الدبلوماسية القطرية 48 ساعة لمغادرة البلاد".

وأضافت أن "الإمارات تقرر منع دخول وعبور المواطنين القطريين إلى الدولة... الإمارات تمنع المواطنين الإماراتيين من السفر إلى دولة قطر والإقامة فيها والمرور عبرها".

"Qatar's policy threatens Arab national security and sows the seeds of strife and division within Arab societies according to a deliberate plan aimed at the unity and interests of the Arab nation," the statement read.

Egypt accused the Gulf Arab state of supporting "terrorist" organisations, including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Yemen also cut ties with Qatar, saying it supported the decision by the Saudi-led coalition to end Qatar's participation in the war there. The government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi said it severed ties with Qatar in part over is support of extremist groups in Yemen "in contradiction with the goals announced by the countries supporting the legitimate government."

Saudi Arabia also said Qatari troops would be pulled from the ongoing war in Yemen.

إضافة إلى ما سبق، أعلنت السعودية والبحرين إنهاء مشاركة القطريين في قوات التحالف العربي في اليمن.

The move to isolate Qatar was joined by Libya's eastern government later on Monday morning, according to its foreign minister, Mohamed Dayri. The eastern-based government is aligned with military commander Halifa Haftar, with whom Egypt has joined in recent military operations against Daesh terrorist camps in Libyan territory.

Daesh is among the terrorist groups that Qatar is accused of supporting across the region.

Bahrain and the UAE announced that their diplomatic staff had 48 hours to return from Qatar.

تجدر الإشارة إلى أن الأزمة الخليجية اندلعت إبان نشر وكالة الأنباء القطرية "قنا" تصريحات لأمير قطر، الشيخ تميم بن حمد آل ثاني، حول إيران، نفتها لاحقا مؤكدة اختراق موقعها.

Travel disruption

The move to isoloate Qatar has sparked fears of widespread travel disruption, with flights among the most seriously affected.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE announced that their citizens would be given 14 days to make arrangements before a ban would be imposed on travel to and from Qatar.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad says it has suspended flights to Qatar. Etihad said on its website Monday that "until further notice" its last flights would leave early Tuesday morning.

ويذكر أن التصريحات التي نقلت عن أمير قطر، أثناء رعايته حفل تخريج الدفعة الثامنة من مجندي الخدمة الوطنية في ميدان معسكر الشمال الشهر الماضي تقول: "إيران تمثل ثقلا إقليميا وإسلاميا لا يمكن تجاهله، وليس من الحكمة التصعيد معها، مؤكدا أنها قوة كبرى تضمن الاستقرار في المنطقة".

Qatar Airways said on its official website on Monday that it had suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia.

Qatar is also home to the sprawling Al-Udeid Air Base, which is home to the US military's Central Command and some 10,000 American troops, although no announcements have been made on the future of the US military presence there.

قطر تصدر بيانا حول إجراءات دول عربية ضدها

تعرب وزارة الخارجية القطرية عن أسفها لقرار السعودية والإمارات والبحرين قطع العلاقات مع الإمارة، معتبرة أن هذه الإجراءات غير مبررة وتقوم على مزاعم وادعاءات لا أساس لها من الصحة.

وتضيف وزارة الخارجية، في بيان اليوم بتاريخ الاثنين 5 يونيو ، أن هذه الإجراءات لن تؤثر على سير الحياة الطبيعي للمواطنين والمقيمين، مؤكدة أن قطر ستسعى لإفشال محاولات التأثير على المجتمع والإقتصاد القطريين.

'Unjustified' action

Qatar responded angrily to the joint action to isolate it, describing the move as "unjustified" and aimed at putting Doha under political "guardianship".

"The measures are unjustified and are based on false and baseless claims," the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The aim is clear, and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of its [Qatar's] sovereignty as a state," it added.

While many Arab media outlets are reporting the developments as a response to Qatar's support for terroism, the Al-Jazeera news organization, which is owned by Qatar, has explained the dispute as stemming from a purported hack of Qatar's state-run news agency.

On 23 May, news emerged that the website and social media accounts of the Qatar News Agency had been hacked, allegedly carrying "fake news" reports relating to Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

وتقول وزارة الخارجية، في بيانها اليوم : "لقد تعرضت دولة قطر إلى حملة تحريض تقوم على افتراءات وصلت حد الفبركة الكاملة، ما يدل على نوايا مبيته للإضرار بالدولة، علما بأن دولة قطر عضو فاعل في مجلس التعاون الخليجي وملتزمة بميثاقه وتحترم سيادة الدول الأخرى ولا تتدخل في شؤونها الداخلية كما تقوم بواجباتها في محاربة الإرهاب والتطرف".

قطر تعرب عن أسفها لقرارات الجميع عــدا ""المستهدفة مصــر""

Muslim Brotherhood

Qatar has long faced criticism from its Arab neighbors over its support of Islamists. The chief worry among them is the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist political group outlawed by Egypta, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Gulf countries led by Saudi Arabia fell out with Qatar over its backing of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood member.

In March 2014, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Qatar over the rift.

Eight months later, they returned their ambassadors as Qatar forced some Brotherhood members to leave the country and quieted others. However, the 2014 crisis did not see a land and sea blockade as threatened now.

In the time since, Qatar repeatedly and strongly denied it funds extremist groups.

However, it remains a key financial patron of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip and has been the home of exiled Hamas official Khaled Mashaal since 2012.

Western officials also have accused Qatar of allowing or even encouraging funding of Sunni extremists like al-Qaida's branch in Syria, once known as the Nusra Front.

The crisis also comes after US President Donald Trump's recent visit to Saudi Arabia for a summit with Arab leaders.

At that Saudi conference, Trump met with Qatar's ruling emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

"We are friends, we've been friends now for a long time, haven't we?" Trump asked at the meeting. "Our relationship is extremely good."

وأضاف البيان: "من الواضح أن الحملة الإعلامية فشلت في اقناع الرأي العام في المنطقة وفي دول الخليج بشكل خاص وهذا ما يفسر التصعيد المتواصل".

وتابعت الوزارة في بيانها: "إن اختلاق أسباب لاتخاذ إجراءات ضد دولة شقيقة في مجلس التعاون لهو دليل ساطع على عدم وجود مبررات شرعية لهذه الإجراءات التي اتخذت بالتنسيق مع مصر والهدف منها واضح وهو فرض الوصاية على الدولة وهذا بحد ذاته انتهاك لسيادتها كدولة وهو أمر مرفوض قطعيا".

Egypt's Sisi expresses support for Bahrain's counter-terrorism efforts

Egypt's Sisi expresses support for Bahrain's counter-terrorism efforts

El-Sisi made a phone call to King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Three days after a bombing in Bahrain killed two policemen, Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has said that Cairo supports the Gulf state's “anti-terrorism efforts”, state news agency MENA reported. 

A presidential statement said that El-Sisi made a phone call on Thursday to King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa where he asserted that Arab national security, including that of Bahrain, is a “red line”. 

He added that Cairo is committed to Bahrain’s “security and stability” and rejects intervention in its local affairs. 

King Hamad commended relations between Cairo and Manama, according to the statement, stressing the importance of enhancing the relationship on all fronts.

Egypt’s foreign ministry had previously condemned the bomb attack on Tuesday that killed two Bahraini policemen in the mainly Shia village of Sitra, south of Manama.

The bomb attack occurred days after the Bahraini government said it had foiled a plot that involved arms smuggling by two Bahraini citizens with ties to Iran, according to Reuters.

“Egypt stands by and fully supports the leadership, government, and people of Bahrain in combating terrorism,” the spokesperson of the Egyptian foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Bahrain has been confronting an opposition movement among Bahraini Shias over the past four years.

Official : Arab states see a month of Yemen strikes, maybe longer

People watch a vehicle which belonged to Shi'ite Muslim rebels burn during clashes in Aden March 26, 2015

An Arab alliance attacking Shi'ite Muslim Houthi forces in Yemen initially plans a month-long campaign, but the operation could last five or six months, a Gulf diplomatic official said on Saturday.

The official, from a country that belongs to the alliance, said Shi'ite Iran, the Houthis' main foreign ally, was likely to retaliate indirectly, by encouraging pro-Iranian Shi'ite activists to carry out armed attacks in Bahrain, Lebanon and eastern Saudi Arabia.

Iran, in a tug-of-war with Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia for influence across the Middle East, has denied supporting the Houthis militarily, and has criticised the Gulf Arabs for their military action.

Since the Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against them early on Thursday, the Houthis, seeking to overthrow the Western- and Saudi-allied President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, have continued to make gains.

But the official, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the attacks would go on until Yemen was able to resume a U.N.-backed political transition interrupted by the Houthis' seizure of Sanaa in September.

He said Gulf Arab concern over the Houthis' influence in Yemen had been heightened in January by satellite imagery showing Houthi forces repositioning long-range Scud missiles in northern districts near the Saudi border.

The Scuds, with a range of between 250 km (150 miles) and 650 km (400 miles), were aimed northwards at Saudi territory.

He said Yemen's military had about 300 Scuds, the bulk of which were believed to be in the hands of the Houthis and allied military units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and that the campaign so far had destroyed 21 of them.

Struggle For Stability

Yemen, by far the poorest country on the Arabian peninsula, has struggled to regain stability since mass protests in 2011 that eventually unseated Saleh after 33 years in power. Hadi led a national dialogue that was discussing a new constitution when the Houthis took the capital and pushed him aside.

The Gulf diplomatic official said the coalition would not accept that the Houthi "coup" had succeeded, and wanted Yemenis to push for a resumption of the U.N.-backed process.

He said it could take five or six months for the campaign's aims to be realised, but there was room for everyone, including Houthis, in that process of forging a new constitution.

The official said Houthi forces were being trained and supported on the ground by about 5,000 experts from Iran and its regional allies, the Hezbollah group in Lebanon and Iraqi Shi'ite militias.

He said the Houthis were today a "quintessentially Yemeni tribal" movement, but with a few years of Iranian training would become a more formidable force, capable of ruling much of the country.

It was widely recognised that Hadi lacked a significant power base, the official said.

But Arab states supported Hadi as he was Yemen's legitimate head of state and had a role as a temporary, transitional figure leading the U.N.-backed reform process, which was meant to shepherd Yemen to stability after decades of autocracy followed by political upheaval.

Saleh's political party called on Friday for a cessation of hostilities by both sides, a statement carried by the party's website said. The Gulf diplomatic official welcomed that, but said it would be good to hear Saleh say it in his own words. 

(+18 Only) BREAKING: ISIS claims in video to have burned Jordanian Fighter pilot alive ; Amman vows revenge

The Islamic State group released a video Tuesday purportedly showing the burning alive of a Jordanian pilot, in the jihadists' most recent execution yet of a foreign hostage.

The highly produced 22-minute video released online showed images of a man purported to be the pilot Muath al-Kassasbeh, who was captured in December, engulfed in flames inside a metal cage.

Later on Tuesday, the spokesman for the Jordanian armed forces confirmed the death of a pilot captured by the Islamic State extremist group and vowed "punishment and revenge."

"The military forces announce that the hero pilot, Muath al-Kaseasbeh, has fallen as a martyr, and ask God to accept him with the martyrs," Mamdouh al-Ameri said in a statement read on Jordanian TV.

"While the military forces mourn the martyr, they emphasize his blood will not be shed in vain. Our punishment and revenge will be as huge as the loss of the Jordanians."

Jordanian state television confirmed the death and said Kassasbeh had been killed on January 3, before the jihadists offered to spare his life and free a Japanese journalist in return for the release of an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber held in Jordan.

US President Barack Obama immediately denounced the purported killing.

"Should in fact this video be authentic, it's just one more indication of the viciousness (and) barbarity of this organisation," Obama said.

He said it would "redouble the vigilance and determination on the part of the global coalition to make sure" the IS group is "ultimately defeated".

Kassasbeh, a 26-year-old first lieutenant in the Jordanian air force, was captured on December 24 after his F-16 jet crashed while on a mission over northern Syria as part of the US-led coalition campaign against the jihadists.

The video released on Tuesday shows footage of Kassasbeh sitting at a table discussing coalition operations against IS, with flags from the various Western and Arab countries in the alliance projected in the background.

A relative of Islamic State Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh walks past a poster of Mazz in front of his clan's headquarters in Amman 

It then shows Kassasbeh dressed in an orange jumpsuit and surrounded by armed and masked IS fighters in camouflage.

It cuts to him standing inside the cage and apparently soaked in petrol before a masked jihadist uses a torch to light a trail of flame that runs to the cage and burns him alive.

The release of the video of the pilot's purported murder came days after IS beheaded a second Japanese hostage within a week.

IS had vowed to kill the second Japanese man, Kenji Goto, and Kassasbeh by sunset on January 29 unless Amman handed over Iraqi jihadist and would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row in Jordan.

Kassasbeh's plane was the first loss of an aircraft since the coalition launched strikes against the jihadists last year.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain are taking part in the coalition air strikes in Syria. Australia, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France and the Netherlands are participating in Iraq.

The extremist group seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria last year, declaring an Islamic "caliphate" and committing a wave of atrocities.

IS claimed in a video released online Saturday that it had killed 47-year-old Goto, after previously murdering another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa.

The group had initially demanded a $200 million ransom for the Japanese hostages -- the same amount Tokyo had promised in non-military aid to countries affected by IS.

It had previously beheaded two US journalists, an American aid worker and two British aid workers in similar highly choreographed videos.

Jordan had vowed to do everything it could to save the pilot but had demanded proof he was still alive before handing over Rishawi.

IS had previously published what it said was an interview with the pilot in which he said his plane was hit by a heat-seeking missile.

IS claimed to have shot down his plane but both Jordan and the United States said it had crashed in an accident.

Kassasbeh's family had urged IS to release the recently married pilot, with his father Safi asking the jihadist group to show "mercy".

After the killing of Goto, the UN Security Council on Sunday condemned the "heinous and cowardly" murder, calling for "the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all those who are kept hostage" by the group.

Jordan to execute five Iraqi Jihadists after IS burnt alive pilot Kassasbeh

Jordan will execute Iraqi jihadist Sajida al-Rishawi and four other jihadists convicted of committing deadly terrorist attacks in the country, Sky News Arabia reported.

Earlier on Tuesday, a video posted on social media by the Islamic State claimed that the IS burnt alive the Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh who was captured by the Jihadists in December 2014. 

King Abdullah of Jordan

Jordan pilot was killed one month ago: State TV

Jordan responds to IS announcement on Tuesday of killing of its pilot

State television said Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh whom the Islamic State group claimed to have burnt alive in a video posted online Tuesday was already killed a month ago.

It said he was killed on January 3, before the jihadists offered to spare his life and free a Japanese journalist in return for the release of an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber on death row in Jordan.

Amman insisted on proof that the pilot, captured on December 24 after his F-16 jet crashed while on a mission over northern Syria, was alive before any exchange.

Jordan's King Abdullah (R) meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the Four Seasons Hotel in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington February 3, 2015

Jordanian King Abdullah cuts short visit to United States, returns to Jordan: State TV

Jordanian King Abdullah cut short a visit to the United States on Tuesday after Islamic State militants released a video purporting to show a captive Jordanian pilot being burnt alive.

"His Majesty the King, the supreme commander of the armed forces, has cut his visit to the United States after the news of the martyrdom of the hero pilot," state television said.

Egypt's El-Sisi calls Jordanian pilot killing "savage act"

President expresses support for Jordan after IS releases video purportedly showing Jordanian pilot’s burned alive

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, left, greets Jordan's King Abdullah II during his inauguration ceremonies at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, June 8, 2014

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Tuesday strongly condemned the killing of a Jordanian pilot captured by the Islamic State, calling the militant group "a savage cowardly organisation that violates all heavenly doctrines,"  As reported.

El-Sisi confirmed Egypt's support to Jordan at this time.

The international community needs to unite to fight terrorism in all its forms and to confront the terrorist groups that use Islamic slogans, even though religion has nothing to do with their actions, he said.

A video released by IS on Tuesday purportedly showed Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kassasbeh being burnt alive, after he was captured by the group when his fighter jet crashed near the IS-controlled Syrian town of Raqqa in December.

A spokesman for the Jordanian armed forces has confirmed Kassasbeh's death and vowed "punishment and revenge," As reported.

Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Ati had earlier called the execution a "barbaric, cowardly, brutal and hideous act."

Egypt has also faces a growing wave of jihadist attacks, the latest of which claimed the lives of at least 30 people in a series of bombings in North Sinai on Thursday. The assault was claimed by Sinai-based IS-affiliate Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis.

Jordanian king says pilot's killing is act of "cowardly terror"

Jordan's King Abdullah said on Thursday the killing of pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh by Islamic State militants was an act of cowardly terror by a group that had nothing to do with Islam.

"This (is) cowardly terror by a criminal group that has no relation to Islam ... It's the duty of all citizens to stand together," he said in a short televised appearance.

The king cut short a visit to Washington after the news of the pilot's death. 

Jordan to execute female would-be bomber at dawn: Security sources 

This combination of two photographs shows the detail of a poster of an undated photograph of Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, left, used during a demonstration calling for his release from the Islamic State group and a still image from video, right, of Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her involvement in a 2005 terrorist attack on a hotel that killed 60 people

Jordan will execute Wednesday an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber on death row and other jihadists after having vowed to avenge the murder of a Jordanian pilot by Islamic State jihadists, an official said.

"The sentence of death pending on... Iraqi Sajida al-Rishawi will be carried out at dawn," the security official said on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Rishawi, the would-be bomber, was condemned to death for her participation in deadly attacks in Amman in 2005, and IS had offered to spare the life of the Jordanian fighter pilot, Lieutenant Muath al-Kassasbeh, if she were released.

"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," the security source said.

"Jordan's response will be earth-shattering," Information Minister Mohammed Momani said earlier on television, while the army and government vowed to avenge the pilot's murder.

"Whoever doubted the unity of the Jordanian people, we will prove them wrong," said Momani, who is also government spokesman.

"The pilot did not belong to a specific tribe or come from a specific governorate, he was the son of all Jordanians, who stand united," he said.

State television also reported that King Abdullah II of Jordan would cut short a visit to Washington and return home in the wake of the pilot's murder.

The king had held talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington on Tuesday before going into a meeting with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill.

One of America's most stalwart allies in the Middle East, Jordan is taking part in US-led air strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria along with several other Arab countries.

Jordan executes jihadists after IS murder of pilot

Supporters and family members of Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh gather outside the tribal gathering chamber, in Amman, Jordan, Tuesday, 3, 2015

Jordan executes jihadists after IS murder of pilot

Jordan executed two death-row jihadists at dawn on Wednesday after vowing an "earth-shattering" response to avenge the burning alive of one of its fighter pilots by the Islamic State group.

Would-be Iraqi female suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi and Iraqi Al-Qaeda member Ziad al-Karboli were hanged at 4:00 am local time (0200 GMT), government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said.

A security source said the executions were carried out at Swaqa prison south of the capital Amman in the presence of an Islamic legal official.

Jordan had promised to begin executing Islamic extremists on death row at daybreak in response to the murder of Muath al- Al-Kassasbeh, who was captured by IS when his plane went down in Syria in December.

Rishawi, 44, was condemned to death for her participation in deadly attacks in Amman in 2005 and IS had offered to spare  Al-Kassasbeh's life and free a Japanese hostage -- who was later beheaded -- if she were released.

Karboli was sentenced to death in 2007 on terrorism charges, including the killing of a Jordanian in Iraq.

Jordan had on Tuesday vowed to avenge the killing of  Al-Kassasbeh, hours after a harrowing video emerged online purporting to show the caged 26-year-old F-16 fighter pilot engulfed in flames.

The video -- the most brutal yet in a series of gruesome recorded killings of hostages by IS -- prompted global revulsion and vows of continued international efforts to combat the Sunni Muslim extremist group.

Jordan, a crucial ally of Washington in the Middle East, is one of five Arab countries that has joined a US-led coalition of countries carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq.

Jordan's King Abdullah II, who was visiting Washington as the video came to light, recorded a televised address to his shocked and outraged nation.

The king, once in the military himself, described  Al-Kassasbeh as a hero and vowed to take the battle to IS.

The army and government vowed to avenge the pilot's murder, with Momani saying: "Jordan's response will be earth-shattering".

"Whoever doubted the unity of the Jordanian people, we will prove them wrong," he said.

US President Barack Obama, who hosted Abdullah in a hastily organised Oval Office meeting, led international condemnation of the murder, decrying the "cowardice and depravity" of IS.

"The president and King Abdullah reaffirmed that the vile murder of this brave Jordanian will only serve to steel the international community's resolve to destroy ISIL," a National Security Council spokesman said after the pair met, using an alternative name for IS.

The Obama administration had earlier reaffirmed its intention to give Jordan $3 billion in security aid over the next three years.

 Al-Kassasbeh was captured in December when his jet crashed over northern Syria on a mission that was part of the coalition air campaign against the jihadists.

Jordanian state television suggested he was killed on January 3, before IS offered to spare his life and free Japanese journalist Kenji Goto in return for Rishawi's release.

British Prime Minister David Cameron called the murder "sickening" while UN chief Ban Ki-moon labelled it an "appalling act".

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned it as "unforgivable".

The highly choreographed 22-minute video shows  Al-Kassasbeh at a table recounting coalition operations against IS, with flags from the various Western and Arab countries in the alliance projected in the background.

It then shows  Al-Kassasbeh dressed in an orange jumpsuit and surrounded by armed and masked IS fighters in camouflage.

It cuts to him standing inside a cage and apparently soaked in petrol before a masked jihadist uses a torch to light a trail of flame that runs to the cage and burns him alive.

The video also offered rewards for the killing of other "crusader" pilots.

IS had previously beheaded two US journalists, an American aid worker and two British aid workers in similar highly choreographed videos.

Shiraz Maher, from the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at King's College London, described the footage as "simply the most horrific, disgusting thing I have seen from Islamic State in the last two years".

"They clearly want to make a real point. This is the first individual whom they have captured who has been directly involved with the Western coalition in fighting IS. It is different from the aid workers... This is an act of belligerence.

"Every time you think they cannot commit anything worse -- they open up another trapdoor."

The Islamic State group last year declared an Islamic "caliphate" as it rampaged across Iraq and Syria in a brutal offensive of executions and forced religious conversions.

 Al-Kassasbeh's plane was the first loss of an aircraft since the US-led coalition launched strikes against IS last year.

US Central Command said that the group still had the ability "to conduct small-scale operations" despite months of air strikes.

Activists drawing as isis flag

But, it said, "their capacity to do so is degraded and their momentum is stalling."