Abdullah vows 'revenge as huge as Jordan's loss' after IS burns 'hostage pilot' alive

Jordan has reportedly confirmed the death of pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was taken hostage by the Islamic State (IS), after a video purporting to show him being burned alive surfaced on the internet.

The authenticity of the video that showed a man standing in a cage engulfed in flames is yet to be ascertained, reported the BBC.

The 22-minute-long video clip also shows the pilot walking at gunpoint amid rubble apparently caused by coalition air strikes.

While hailing Lt Kasasbeh as a hero and urging Jordanians to "stand united" in the face of hardship, Jordan's King Abdullah vowed "punishment and revenge that will be as huge as the loss of the Jordanians." He described the terror group as a "deviant criminal group."

The pilot was captured by IS militants after his plane crashed near Raqqa, Syria during a mission against the terror group in December.

The video was posted on a Twitter account known as a source for IS propaganda on Tuesday.

Jordan, which is a part of the U.S.-led coalition against IS, had been trying to win the release of Lt Kasasbeh as part of a prisoner swap, offering to release IS suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi in exchange.

Jordanian officials said that Rishawi would be executed imminently, along with three other convicted militants.