Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday (February 4) he was deeply angry over the “outrageous” killing of a Jordanian pilot, who was apparently burnt to death by Islamic State militants, and repeated Japan's resolve not to give in to terrorism.
“I feel an intense sense of anger and outrage upon hearing that the Jordanian pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh was horrifically burned to death at the hands of ISIS. I am lost for words just thinking how difficult it must be for his family,” Abe said.
Abe told a lower house budget committee he sympathized with Jordan and would expand Japan's humanitarian support in the region.
“I would also like to pay my respects to Jordan for not giving in to terrorism. Japan too will not bow to terrorism,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the killing of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasaesbeh by the Islamic State (IS) group, calling the act “appalling”.
In a statement, Ban denounced the burning alive of the Jordanian pilot and said the militant group displayed “no regard for human life,” according to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. The statement went on to call for heightened efforts from the international community in combating terrorism.
“The Secretary-General urges all governments to strengthen their efforts to combat the scourge of terrorism and extremism within the bounds of their human rights obligations,” said Dujarric.
Islamic State militants released a video on Tuesday (February 2) appearing to show al-Kasaesbeh being burnt alive in a cage. The video surfaced on the same day Jordan's King Abdullah visited Washington, and the United States announced plans to boost annual aid to Jordan to $1 billion from $660 million.