UAE’s F-16s arrive in Jordan, with crew

AMMAN — A squadron of F-16 jet fighters of the United Arab Emirates air force arrived at Royal Jordanian Air Force bases on Sunday. 

The decision to send the fighters is in line with the directives of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE president, and General Mohammed Bin Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces, in support of the Kingdom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Jordan has launched several raids against facilities belonging  to the so-called Islamic State terrorist group in Syria and Iraq since Thursday in response to its brutal killing of Jordanian pilot Muath Kasasbeh, who was captured by the group in December.

The squadron is accompanied by a team of pilots and aircraft technicians along with fuel-loading and C-17 transport aircraft. 

Colonel Saeed Hassan, commander of the UAE force stationed in the Kingdom, offered condolences to Jordan over the death of Jordanian pilot, noting that the squadron will be ready to carry out any mission in coordination with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army.