The US believes it has identified masked man in beheading videos, FBI Director James Comey says: http://t.co/69v4i6fOkp— The Associated Press (@AP) September 25, 2014
French Tourist Latest Victim of ISIS Beheading
BREAKING: French President Francois Hollande confirms killing of French hostage in Algeria.
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 24, 2014
A French tourist kidnapped in Algeria has been the victim of another beheading under guidance by ISIS.
The killing was apparently in retaliation for the French involvement in recent airstrikes against the terrorist group.
President Obama: We’re Going To “Take This Fight To This Terrorist Group For The Security of the Country”
President Obama spoke to the nation today after a coalition of Arab allies joined the US in strategic airstrikes against ISIS in Syria last night.
The President’s comments precede his trip to NYC where he will ask the United Nations General Assembly for more support in the anti-ISIS campaign.
From NBC News:
“America’s proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security,” the president said. “The strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not America’s fight alone.”
He reiterated that support for moderate opposition forces in Syria, who are fighting both ISIS and the regime of President Bashar Assad, is the “best counterweight” against the militants.
“The overall effort will take time,” Obama said. “There will be challenges ahead, but we’re going to do what’s necessary to take the fight to this terrorist group for the security of the country, the region and the entire world.”
Besides hitting ISIS targets, the United States, acting alone, struck training camps and other facilities belonging to a little-known network of seasoned al Qaeda veterans known as the Khorasan Group. Obama said that those strikes demonstrate to the world that “we will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people.”
He thanked the pilots who flew the missions “with the courage and professionalism that we’ve come to expect from the finest military that the world has ever known.”
US Senate Votes 78-22 In Favor Of Training Syrian Rebels
The US Senate voted 78-22 in favor of authorizing a mission to train Syrian rebels against ISIS.
This follows a vote in the House yesterday which passed the measure 273-156.
Even with all that support, both parties are torn on the issue.
Democrats worry that the US will be drawn into another protracted military operation that could linger for years.
Republicans express concern the President’s plan doesn’t go far enough.
My opinion? America supports airstrikes in Iraq – polls showing support at around 60%.
But Americans are too war weary for a lengthy engagement or for putting our combat boots on the ground in a country that doesn’t want us there (Iraq). And the expense of a long military operation could hurt our own economic recovery.
We’ve been through that. Not sure more than training Middle Eastern forces and contributing air strikes is our responsibility at this time.
Reuters reports another journalist beheaded by ISIL
Reuters is reporting that another American journalist, Steven Sotloff, may have been beheaded by ISIL:
The Islamic State released a video purporting to show the beheading of American hostage Steven Sotloff, a monitoring service said on Tuesday, as the militant group raised the stakes in its confrontation with Washington over U.S. air strikes on its fighters in Iraq.
A masked figure in the video also issued a threat against a British hostage, a man the group named as David Haines, and warned governments to back off “this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State”, the SITE monitoring service said.
“I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and … on Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings,” the man said.
“So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.”
Several news outlets report that Sotloff’s family is aware of the video and grieving.
On August 19th, the same group posted a similar video showing the gruesome killing of American journalist James Foley.