© 2024
Virginia's Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

As Deadline Passes, The Fate Of ISIS Hostages Is Uncertain

As a deadline came and went, the fate of two hostages being held by the Islamic State is uncertain.

As we've reported, Jordan has indicated it was willing to release a convicted terrorist in exchange for the release of a Jordanian prisoner. On Thursday, Jordan demanded proof of life from the Islamic State, which had demanded the exchange take place by sundown on Thursday.

So far, there is no word on the fate of the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, or of Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist also being held.

Late last night, however, Goto's wife issued a last-minute plea.

She said that Goto is the father of two young daughters.

"Our baby girl was only three weeks old when Kenji left," Goto's wife, Rinko, said. "I hope our oldest daughter, who is just two, will get to see her father again. I want them both to grow up knowing their father.
"

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Jordan's army was working hard to obtain information about the pilot.

"State organs are working round the clock following up on the case of the pilot ... and in the event of any developments the information would be shared at the right time," army spokesman Col. Mamdouh al Ameri said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Eyder Peralta is NPR's East Africa correspondent based in Nairobi, Kenya.