AMMAN
An Iraqi woman sought in a prisoner swap with the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militant group is still in Jordan, a government minister has said.
"Sajida al-Rishawi is still in Jordan," Information Minister Mohamed al-Momani told a press conference on Thursday.
He said Jordan was seeking guarantees from the ISIL that captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasba was still alive before announcing a prisoner swap.
Al-Kasasba was captured by the militant group after his fighter plane crashed in the Syrian city of Raqqa last December.
On Wednesday, al-Momni said Jordan was prepared to exchange al-Rishawi – who was sentenced to death in 2005 following a spate of deadly hotel bombings in Amman – for al-Kasasba.
Late Wednesday, the ISIL released an audio recording in which Kenji Goto, a Japanese hostage held by the group, warns that al-Kasasba would be killed if the group's demands weren't met.
The recording was released following the expiry on Wednesday of ISIL's 24-hour deadline for al-Rishawi's release.
Jordan's parliament, meanwhile, has said that the ISIL was not serious about making a prisoner swap.
In a statement, the assembly asserted that the ISIL "had bad intentions" regarding the proposed swap.
"[The ISIL] has not proposed any serious deal for releasing him [al-Kasasba]," parliament said.
Last summer, the ISIL captured large swathes of land in Iraq and Syria, killing thousands in the process. It later declared the captured territories to be part of a self-styled "Islamic caliphate."
Since the group captured the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in June of last year, a U.S.-led coalition has carried out numerous airstrikes against ISIL targets in both Iraq and Syria.
