Pilots of the UAE Air Forces.

ABU DHABI — The United Arab Emirates withdrew from coalition air strikes against the “Islamic State” group in Syria after the capture of a Jordanian pilot since murdered by the jihadists, US officials said Wednesday.

The UAE pulled out of the flights soon after the pilot fell into IS hands in December, a U.S. official said, stressing that the Gulf Arab nation still offers access to important air bases for American aircraft and other support for the coalition effort.

“I can confirm that UAE suspended air strikes shortly after the Jordanian pilot’s plane went down,” the official said.

“But let me be clear that UAE continues to be an important and valuable partner that is contributing to the coalition,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

UAE’s move was first reported by The New York Times.

Fearing for the safety of its air crews, the UAE raised concerns to Washington about its search-and-rescue resources in the region, officials said.

UAE representatives proposed that American forces deploy their V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft to northern Iraq to be closer to any planes that go down, instead of in Kuwait.

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 Times.

The Ospreys are used for rescue missions because they can take off like helicopters but fly with the speed of a plane.