Amman City Cleaners to Bin Orange Jumpsuits over IS Videos

Jordan's capital Amman said Tuesday it is replacing the orange jumpsuits worn by its city cleaners because of their similarity to those of hostages murdered in Islamic State group videos.

The jumpsuits -- believed to be meant as a symbol of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay -- have been worn by hostages killed by IS in grisly videos, including a Jordanian pilot burned alive last month.

Starting from March 20, Amman's more than 6,000 street cleaners will trade in their orange jumpsuits for turquoise uniforms, city authorities said in a statement.

The decision was taken at the request of city residents and the brother of Maaz al-Kassasbeh, the deceased pilot, because "the color orange is now associated with the terrorist practices of Daesh," the statement said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Turquoise was chosen after a poll conducted on the city's website and though social media, the statement said.

IS, which has taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria, has dressed hostages including Western journalists and aid workers, as well as Egyptian Coptic Christians, in orange jumpsuits before killing them in recorded executions.

Jordan is a member of the U.S.-led coalition carrying out air strikes against IS and intensified its campaign after the killing of Kassasbeh, whose F-16 went down over Syria in December.