Who Downed the Jordanian Jet?

U.S. officials confirmed reports Wednesday that a Jordanian fighter jet was shot down in the fight against Islamic State militants in northern Syria and that the pilot had been captured.

But officials denied claims made by the terrorist organization that it was responsible for the downing.

In a statement, U.S. Central Command said a Jordanian F-16 was shot down in the vicinity of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, or ISIL.

It was not immediately known how the warplane was shot down. CENTCOM said evidence "clearly indicates" that ISIS did not down the plane.

"We will support efforts to ensure (the pilot's) safe recovery, and will not tolerate ISIL's attempts to misrepresent or exploit this unfortunate aircraft crash for their own purposes," CENTCOM commander General Lloyd J. Austin III, who is overseeing all coalition military operations in Iraq and Syria, said in a statement.

Jordanian Information Minister Mohammad Momani told The Associated Press that the plane was shot down by "ground fire" but did not elaborate.

Another group, the Raqqa Media Center, said the warplane crashed near the village of Hamra Ghannam, adding that ISIS militants were searching the area in case there is another pilot.

If ISIS did shoot down the Jordanian aircraft, it would be the first warplane shot down by the terrorist group since the U.S.-led coalition began its airstrikes against the group in Syria three months ago.

RMC published a photograph said to be of the pilot who appeared wearing a white shirt as he was surrounded by 11 fighters, some of them masked.  Another photograph published by the group showed the man -- naked from the waist down and soaking wet -- being captured by three gunmen as he was taken out of what appeared to be a lake.

RMC later posted a photograph of the Jordanian military identity card of the pilot identifying him as Mu'ath Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh who was born on May 29, 1988. A photograph of al-Kaseasbeh was also posted in the Petra report, but he was not named.

In Jordan, the pilot's cousin Marwan al-Kaseasbeh confirmed by telephone with The Associated Press that the photos are of his cousin.

"May Allah plant mercy in your hearts and may you release my son,” al-Kaseasbeh’s father, Youssef, told the Jordanian newspaper Saraya, according to the BBC.

Youssef al-Kaseasbeh said he heard the news about his son’s capture after the head of the Royal Jordanian Air Force informed one of his sons.

Mu'ath Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh has been a pilot in the air force for six years and was married in July.

The official said any further questions about the alleged capture should be referred to the government of Jordan. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the reports by name.