Jordan says planes bomb Islamic State targets for second day running

(Reuters) - Jordan said on Friday it had carried out a second straight day of air strikes on Islamic State militants to avenge a captive Jordanian pilot burnt to death by the group.

“Sorties of air force fighters executed several air strikes against select targets of the Daesh gang,” state television said in a bulletin, using a derogatory Arabic name for the militants, adding that the army would announce details later.

Jordan earlier said it had sent tens of fighter jets to pound Islamic State targets in Syria on Thursday, including ammunition depots and training camps.

On Friday, Islamic State said an American female hostage it was holding in Syria had been killed when Jordanian fighter jets hit a building where she was being held, according to the SITE monitoring group.

King Abdullah has vowed to avenge pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh's brutal killing, and ordered commanders to prepare for a stepped-up military role in the U.S.-led coalition against the group. But many Jordanians fear being dragged into a conflict that could trigger a backlash by hardline militants inside the kingdom.

Jordan is a major U.S. ally in the fight against Islamist militants, and also hosted U.S. troops during operations that led to the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

It is home to hundreds of U.S. military trainers bolstering defences at the Syrian and Iraqi borders, and is determined to keep the jihadists in Syria and Iraq from crossing its frontiers.  Read More at Jordan says planes bomb Islamic State targets