The head of al-Azhar, one of Sunni Islam’s top religious authorities, urges that members of the Islamic State (IS) militia be maimed or killed, including by crucifixion, after the group burned alive a Jordanian fighter pilot.

Ahmed al-Tayeb, sheikh of al-Azhar in Cairo, says the Islamic State is a “satanic” organisation that spreads corruption on earth and wages war against God.

He urged the strictest Islamic punishments against the Sunni militants, including the amputation of limbs.

- dpa