IS captive's mother begs for her son's life, pleads Japan PM to talk to Jordan govt

Having beheaded one of the Japanese hostages, the Islamic State has released a new video threatening to kill the surviving captive Kenji Goto Jogo and a Jordanian pilot within 24 hours if a female Iraqi bomber was not freed.

Tokyo: In an elegiac appeal to PM Shizo Abe, the mother of the Japanese journalist under Islamic State's captivity has called for urgent efforts for safe release of her son.

In a letter written to Abe, Kenji Goto Jogo's mother Junko Ishido has urged the PM to negotiate with the Jordanian government to secure her son's release from ISIS claws.

"Please save Kenji`s life. I call on you to work with all your strength in negotiations with the Jordanian government," Reuters quoted Goto`s mother's letter.

"His remaining time is very short ... I beg you to do everything in your power," Ishido added further saying that her son was not an enemy of Islam.

Having beheaded one of the Japanese hostages, the Islamic State yesterday released a new video threatening to kill the surviving captive Kenji Goto Jogo and a Jordanian pilot within 24 hours if a female Iraqi bomber was not freed.

Earlier, the ISIS had demanded $200 mn within 72 hours from the Japanese government in return for the life of two Japanese hostages. As the Tokyo government failed to pay the sum, the ISIS beheaded one of the hostages named Haruna Yukawa, releasing another threat video.

In the new video that lasts for nearly two minutes, the captured Japanese journalist Kenji Goto Jogo is seen holding the photo of another hostage – a Jordanian pilot named Moaz Kasasabeh who was captured last month after his plane was downed by the ISIS.

The video was made public by the online terror monitoring group SITE Intelligence group.

“I have 24 hours to live, the pilot has even less,” said a voice in the background attributed to the Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

He further urged the Japanese government to pressurise the Jordanian government saying any further delay from Amman will result in the pilot's death.

“The ball is now in Jordanian court,” said Kenji.

In what appears to be a new ISIS strategy of pressurising the nations, the extremists have used the surviving journalist to convey their demands of releasing a female Iraqi bomber who is jailed in Jordan.

Jordan is one of the anti-ISIS coalition members that has carried out air strikes against the ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The US-led anti-ISIS coalition has been launching anti-jihadist airstrikes in Iraq and Syria since September and the Jordanian pilot's plane is the first coalition warplane to have crashed.

Meanwhile, Japanese PM Shizo Abe has condemned the video calling it despicable and indignating.

He however added that Japan is seeking help from the Jordanian government in securing the early release of Kenji Goto.

Meanwhile in Amman, some 200 family members of the captured pilot protested outside the PM's office demanding his safety.

"All people must know, from the head of the regime to everybody else, that the safety of Moaz means the stability of Jordan, and the death of Moaz means chaos in Jordan," said Safi Kasasbeh, the pilot's father, who had earlier appealed the ISIS to “treat his son well” like a guest.