Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/454249
The Associated Press BEIRUT The Islamic State group released a message late Wednesday purport- edly by Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, extending the deadline for Jordan's re- lease of an Iraqi would-be hotel bomber linked to al- Qaida. Earlier in the day, Jordan had offered a precedent-set- ting prisoner swap to the Is- lamic State group in a des- perate attempt to save a Jordanian air force pilot the militants purportedly threatened to kill, along with a Goto. The audio recording, in English, says the Jordani- ans must present Sajida al- Rishawi at the Turkish bor- der by sunset Thursday, or Jordanian pilot Mu'as al- Kasaseabeh will be killed. The Associated Press could not independently verify the contents of the re- cording which was distrib- uted on Twitter by IS-affili- ated accounts. On Wednesday, the pi- lot's father met with Jor- dan's king who he said as- sured him that "everything will be fine." King Abdullah II faces growing domestic pressure to bring the pilot home. However, meeting the Is- lamic State's demand for the release of a would-be hotel bomber linked to al- Qaida would run counter to the kingdom's hardline approach to the extremists. Efforts to release al-Kas- easbeh and Goto gained ur- gency with the release late Tuesday of a purported on- line ultimatum claiming the Islamic State group would kill both hostages within 24 hours if the al- Qaida-linked prisoner was not freed. The scope of a possible swap and of the Islamic State group's demands also remained unclear. Jordanian government spokesman Mohammed al- Momani said Jordan is ready to trade the prisoner, an Iraqi woman convicted of in- volvement in deadly Amman hotel bombings in 2005, for the pilot. Al-Momani made no mention of Goto. Any exchange would set a precedent for negotiating with the Islamic State mili- tants, who in the past have not publicly demanded pris- oner releases. Jordan's main ally, the United States, op- poses negotiations with ex- tremists. The release of al-Rishawi, the al-Qaida-linked pris- oner, would also be a propa- ganda coup for the militants who have already overrun large parts of neighboring Syria and Iraq. Jordan is part of a U.S.-led military alliance that has carried out airstrikes against Is- lamic State targets in Syria and Iraq in recent months. Participation in the alli- ance is unpopular in Jordan, and the capture of the pilot has only exacerbated such sentiments, analysts said. "Public opinion in Jordan is putting huge pressure on the government to negoti- ate with the Islamic State group," said Marwan She- hadeh, a scholar with ties to ultra-conservative Islamic groups in Jordan. "If the government doesn't make a serious effort to release him, the morale of the en- tire military will deteriorate and the public will lose trust in the political regime." The pilot's family, mean- while, is increasingly vocal in its criticism of the gov- ernment. Several dozen protesters gathered Wednesday out- side King Abdullah's pal- ace in Amman, urging the government to do more to win the release of the pilot. "Listen, Abdullah, the son of Jordan (the pilot) must be returned home," the protesters chanted. The pilot's father, Safi al- Kasaesbeh, was part of the group and was allowed into the palace, along with his wife, to meet Abdullah. "The king told me that Muath is like my son and God willing everything will be fine," al-Kasaesbeh said afterward. Earlier, he criticized the government's handling of the crisis. "I contacted the Turkish authorities after I found that the Jordanian govern- ment is not serious in the negotiations," he told The Associated Press. "The gov- ernment needs to work seri- ously, the way one would do to free a son, like the Japa- nese government does." Jordan reportedly is holding indirect talks with the militants through reli- gious and tribal leaders in Iraq to secure the release of the hostages. In his brief statement, al-Momani only said Jor- dan is willing to swap al- Rishawi for the pilot, but not if such an exchange is being arranged. Al- Rishawi was sentenced to death for her involve- ment in the al-Qaida at- tack on hotels in Amman that killed 60 people. In Tokyo, Goto's mother, Junko Ishido, appealed publicly to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. "Please save Kenji's life," Ishido said, begging Abe to work with the Jordanian government until the very end to try to save Goto. "Kenji has only a little time left," she said in a plea read to reporters. HOSTAGES Is la mi c St at e ex te nd s de ad lin e RAADADAYLEH—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS The mother of Jordanian pilot Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh holds a picture of him during a sit- in in front of the cabinet offices in Amman calling for his release. EVGENIY MALOLETKA — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Local residents walk past Soviet-era hammer and sickle sculptures Wednesday outside an apartment building damaged a er Saturday's shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine. By Peter Leonard The Associated Press DONETSK, UKRAINE Sep- aratist forces in eastern Ukraine said Wednesday they have almost fully en- circled government forces in a town that hosts a stra- tegic railway hub, putting them within grasp of a de- cisive new victory. Eduard Basurin, the deputy commander of the separatist forces, said the highway linking the town, Debaltseve, to other government-held areas has now fallen into rebel hands. The encirclement of the town has not, how- ever, been fully executed, Basurin said. Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Ly- senko confirmed Debalt- seve is surrounded on two flanks and is being heav- ily targeted with Grad multiple rocket launchers. Other officials denied gov- ernment forces were close to folding and said sepa- ratist claims were exag- gerated. Debaltseve is one of multiple flashpoints that have flared up across east- ern Ukraine since the start of the month, when full- blown fighting between Russian-backed rebels and government forces erupted anew following a month of relative tranquility. Since the conflict started in April, it has claimed more than 5,100 lives and dis- placed over 900,000 peo- ple across the country, ac- cording to Ukraine gov- ernment estimates. Advances by separatist forces threaten to defini- tively torpedo the chances of reviving an interna- tionally brokered peace deal reached in Septem- ber that established a line of contact between the warring sides. That agree- ment was signed in the Be- larusian capital, Minsk, by rebel leaders and represen- tatives from Ukraine, Rus- sia and the Organization for Security and Coopera- tion in Europe. Basurin said the terms of the Minsk agreement are no longer in force. Roman Turovets, a spokesman for Ukrainian military operations in the east, said fighting is rag- ing all along the more than 300-kilometer (190-mile) long perimeter between government and separat- ist territory. Ukraine rebels claim victory within grasp RAILWAY HUB PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Thankyou! The Associated Press YOLA, NIGERIA Islamic ex- tremists are rampaging through villages in north- eastern Nigeria, killing, burning and looting with no troops protecting civil- ians, fleeing villagers said Wednesday. More than 40 people have been killed in seven villages in Adamawa state this week, according to res- ident Emmanuel Kwache. "They slaughtered peo- ple like rams and they burned down our houses after looting food," Kwache said. "There's no presence of troops, some residents are hiding on top of hills, while those that could not run were abducted, partic- ularly youths and women." State legislator Adamu Kamale said he has ap- pealed in vain for troops since the attacks began on Friday. In Maiduguri, capital of Borno state and some 125 miles north of Michika, people fleeing other Boko Haram attacks say the mil- itants warned they are pre- paring to massacre them in Maiduguri and that "there will be no mercy." Maiduguri is the biggest city in the northeast where troops repelled a daring of- fensive by hundreds of mil- itants Sunday. Boko Ha- ram attacked Maiduguri at three entry points and at least 200 combatants were killed in prolonged gun bat- tles, according to residents and security forces. KILLING, LOOTING Islamic militants rampage in n or th ea st N ig er ia v il la ge s 7875 HWY 99E LOS MOLINOS, CA 384-1265 ORDERS TO GO ServedAllDay Nosubstitutions HarrisRanch Steak 2 Eggs HashBrownsor Home Fries, Toast $ 7 99 Pictured is Theresa Wood, owner, Elaine Russel and Luerna White, client. Elaine Russell won the $250 downtown Red Bluff shopping spree. 40 Chestnut Avenue, Red Bluff 530-330-1096 | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015 8 A