Washington: A video has been posted by Jihadists group which shows the apparent execution of American journalist James Foley and threatened to kill a second reporter unless the United States halts air strikes in Iraq. Notify that Foley had been missing since he was seized in Syria in November 2012.
A second captive, said to be US reporter Steven Sotloff, is shown alive, along with a warning that his fate rests on US President Barack Obama ordering a halt to strikes against the jihadist group.
Diane, the mother of Foley in a Facebook message said to supporters, “We have never been prouder of our son Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people.”
“We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world. We thank Jim for all the joy he gave us. He was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person. Please respect our privacy in the days ahead as we mourn and cherish Jim.”
The White House said US intelligence was studying the video, and that President Barack Obama had been briefed on it as he flew from Washington to resume his vacation on Martha’s Vineyard.
National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said, “If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends.”
In the nearly five-minute video, titled “A Message to America” and distributed online by known Islamic State sources, the group declares that Foley was killed after Obama ordered air strikes against IS positions in northern Iraq.
The execution is carried out in an open desert area with no immediate signs as to whether it is in Iraq or Syria by a black-clad masked militant who speaks English with a British accent.
Foley is seen kneeling on the ground, wearing an orange outfit that resembles those worn by prisoners held at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
The masked militant declares, “Any aggression towards the Islamic State is an aggression towards Muslims from all walks of life who have accepted the Islamic caliphate as their leadership.”
Bureau Report
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