U.S.: Key Arab ally no longer flying ISIS airstrikes over Syria

WASHINGTON -- The United Arab Emirates, an important part of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), stopped flying combat missions over Syria late last year after a Jordanian pilot was captured, two U.S. officials said Wednesday.

The UAE dropped out of the group of countries conducting airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria in December but has remained involved in noncombat roles, the officials said. They spoke only on condition of anonymity because the move has not been announced and they were not authorized to speak on the record.

Even after the UAE stopped flying the missions, the U.S. military has continued to suggest otherwise in its daily news releases about the air campaign. Each day it has stated, "Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the U.S., Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates."

Asked about the UAE's current role, a spokesman at the U.S. Central Command, Maj. Brian Fickel, said, "We defer questions on coalition nation participation to those countries."

The New York Times was first to report the UAE's decision to stop conducting airstrikes.

The Times reported that in suspending airstrikes against ISIS, the UAE cited fears for its pilots' safety after a Jordanian pilot was captured in December. A video this week purported to show the pilot, Lt. Muath Al-Kaseasbeh, being burned to death by his ISIS captors.

U.S. officials have said that every effort was made to recover the Jordanian pilot in coordination with the Jordanian military. They have said that as soon as his plane went down, an intensive airborne search was initiated, but it was not possible to locate the pilot before he was picked up by ISIS fighters.

Jordan's air force carried out more bombing raids against the terror group, reports CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata. Officials will also decide whether Jordan may send in ground troops in the fight against ISIS.