CAIRO (AFP) - Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's most prestigious centre of learning, has called for the killing and crucifixion of militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), expressing outrage over their murder of a Jordanian pilot.

In a statement after the burning alive of Maaz al-Kassasbeh, the Cairo-based authority's head, Ahmed al-Tayib expressed his "strong dismay at this cowardly act".

Tayib said this "requires the punishment mentioned in the Koran for these corrupt oppressors who fight against God and his prophet: killing, crucifixion or chopping of the limbs".

The ISIS in a video on Tuesday claimed the gruesome killing of Kassasbeh who was captured in Syria when his plane went down in December.