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American Murdered by ISIS
WASHINGTON – Reports from the Middle East that American freelance journalist James Foley has been beheaded by ISIS are circulating after a video released on social media earlier today.
The Islamic State group released the video purportedly showing the beheading James Foley. The journalist had gone missing in Syria nearly two years ago.
The video which is titled “A Message To America” suggests the apparent murder was an act of revenge for American air strikes against ISIS fighters in Iraq.
It is not immediately possible to verify.
James Foley a forty-one year old freelancer was contributing videos to the AFP news agency for the media company GlobalPost when he was kidnapped in November 2012. by unidentified kidnappers.
“We have seen a video that purports to be the murder of US citizen James Foley by ISIL. The intelligence community is working as quickly as possible to determine its authenticity.” stated Caitlin Hayden, a spokesperson for the US National Security Council, speaking to media. “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. We will provide more information when it is available.”
On the Foley family Twitter account the message is, “We know that many of you are looking for confirmation or answers. Please be patient until we all have more information, and keep the Foleys in your thoughts and prayers.”
The Islamic radicals who claimed responsibility for the murder of James Foley are also claiming in the video that they are also holding another US journalist, Steven Sofloff. The video states that Steven Soflff’s life depends on US President Barack Obama’s next moves.
This afternoon at the White House, President Obama delivered a statement on the latest developments in Iraq and in Ferguson, Missouri — two issues he has been following closely each day.
First, the President relayed to the nation that the American operation in Iraq has effectively protected our personnel by stopping the terrorist group ISIL from advancing on the city of Erbil, and by helping Iraqi forces to recapture the largest dam in Iraq: “The Mosul Dam fell under terrorist control earlier this month and is directly tied to our objective of protecting Americans in Iraq. If that dam was breached, it could have proven catastrophic, with floods that would have threatened the lives of thousands of civilians and endangered our embassy compound in Baghdad. Iraqi and Kurdish forces took the lead on the ground and performed with courage and determination. So this operation demonstrates that Iraqi and Kurdish forces are capable of working together in taking the fight to ISIL. If they continue to do so, they will have the strong support of the United States of America”.
President Obama also noted that the U.S. is building an international coalition to address the humanitarian crisis in northern Iraq: “Even as we’ve worked to help many thousands of Yazidis escape the siege of Mount Sinjar, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been displaced by ISIL’s violence and many more are still at risk. Going forward, the United States will work with the Iraqi government, as well as partners like the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy and Australia, to get food and water to people in need and to bring long-term relief to people who have been driven from their homes”.
“The long-term strategy against ISIL requires an inclusive Iraqi government that can unite all of Iraq’s communities against ISIL’s terrorism,” added the President.
President Obama also outlined the “historic progress” Iraq has made toward this goal and the work that remains: “Over the next few weeks, Dr. Abadi needs to complete the work of forming a new, broad-based, inclusive Iraqi government, one that develops a national program to address the interests of all Iraqis. Without that progress, extremists like ISIL can continue to prey upon Iraq’s divisions. With that new government in place, Iraqis will be able to unite the country against the threat from ISIL, and they will be able to look forward to increased support not just from the United States but from other countries in the region and around the world”.
“The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision,” claimed the radical Islamic speaker on the video.
The action comes a day after a video was posted claiming that Americans will be attacked.
The video could not immediately be verified.