Reuters, Washington :The United States has sent search and rescue assets to northern Iraq in recent days, bolstering its ability to recover coalition personnel in the U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria, US officials said on Thursday.The deployments follow a decision by the United Arab Emirates to suspend its participation in coalition air strikes in December over pilot safety concerns after a Jordanian pilot was captured by the group in Syria. He was later executed.The United Arab Emirates had called on the United States to establish better search-and-rescue capability.A source familiar with the views of governments in the region said the Emirates were keen on re-engaging in combat operations against Islamic State and likely to resume flights once an enhanced rescue capability is operational.The source added that other members of the anti-Islamic State coalition, including Australia and Saudi Arabia, have continued to fly combat missions from al Dhafra, a large air base near the city of Abu Dhabi where U.S. forces are also based. The source, and U.S. officials, said that despite their suspension of combat flights, the Emirates remain deeply engaged in supporting the coalition.U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said U.S. personnel and aircraft were moved to the area around the northern Iraqi city of Arbil to bolster combat search and rescue capabilities. One official said helicopters were sent.A second official said the search and rescue assets had been moved from Kuwait and would soon become operational.Jordanian fighter jets pounded Islamic State hideouts in Syria on Thursday, in a show of force two days after the Islamic State released a video showing captured 26-year-old Jordanian pilot Mouath al-Kasaesbeh being burned alive in a cage.The redeployment came as US aircraft on Thursday escorted Jordanian warplanes over Syria for dozens of retaliatory air strikes against the IS group.American F-16 and F-22 jets provided security to Jordan’s fighter planes on the strike mission while US refueling tankers and surveillance aircraft provided additional support, defense officials said.The United Arab Emirates, fearing for the safety of its pilots, reportedly had raised concerns about search-and-rescue resources with the Americans, urging them to redeploy some V-22 tilt-rotor Osprey aircraft to northern Iraq.US officials suggested the move of some search-and-rescue teams to northern Iraq would include helicopters but not necessarily Ospreys, an aircraft that takes off like a chopper but flies like a plane.The UAE pulled out of air strike flights in December, shortly after the Jordanian pilot was captured by IS extremists after his F-16 fighter jet went down in eastern Syria.The UAE has indicated that the suspension of its participation in the air campaign would continue until the Osprey aircraft were moved to northern Iraq, according to the New York Times.IS militants posted a grisly video Tuesday showing the Jordanian airman, Maaz al-Kassasbeh, being burned alive.Apart from the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and Saudi Arabia take part in US-led air raids in Syria, which began in September.Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom participate in the air campaign in Iraq, which was launched on August 8.The United States plays a dominant role in the air war, carrying out at least 80 percent of the raids, according to officials.
