Washington has not been able to confirm whether a Jordanian jet flying with the US-led coalition against the Islamic State was shot down or suffered a mechanical fault, a defence official said.
The coalition is investigating what caused the F-16 to go down over Syria and is concerned about the pilot’s well-being, the official said, after pictures emerged of the officer in the hands of ISIS jehadis.
“It is not clear if the aircraft experienced mechanical failure or was struck by enemy fire,” the US official told AFP in Washington, adding that there was no doubt that the Jordanian had been captured.
Jordan did not say why the plane crashed near Raqa in eastern Syria, but the ISIS jedhadi group and watchdog the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights both said it was shot with an anti-aircraft missile.