ISIL Releases David Haines Beheading Video: Obama Condemns Barbaric Murder [Video]
President Barack Obama, in a statement issued Saturday night, condemning what he referred to as the “barbaric murder” by Islamic State extremists of British aid worker David Haines.
The extremists released the following video, titled “A Message to the Allies of America,” Saturday which purportedly shows Haines’ beheading, shown on YouTube by Your Face News,.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has described the purported beheading as “an act of pure evil in a tweet from his official account.
The murder of David Haines is an act of pure evil. My heart goes out to his family who have shown extraordinary courage and fortitude.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) September 13, 2014
Shortly thereafter, he tweeted:
We will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes.
— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) September 13, 2014
The UK Foreign Office said earlier today that they were “working urgently to verify” the video, and Fox News has confirmed that the tape is being examined by the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington DC.
The AP reports that ISIL has beheaded two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and now Haines, since the United States began attacking the extremist group with airstrikes last month.
In his statement Saturday night, President Obama repeated his promise from his Wednesday night televised address to “degrade and ultimately destroy, ISIL though a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.”
“The United States strongly condemns the barbaric murder of UK citizen David Haines by the terrorist group ISIL. Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. Haines and to the people of the United Kingdom. The United States stands shoulder to shoulder tonight with our close friend and ally in grief and resolve,” President Obama said.
“We will work with the United Kingdom and a broad coalition of nations from the region and around the world to bring the perpetrators of this outrageous act to justice, and to degrade and destroy this threat to the people of our countries, the region, and the world,” the president said.
As part of the war against ISIL, Secretary of State John Kerry announced that retired Marine General John Allen was joining the State Department to assist in coordinating the international coalition. Allen worked with the international allies as the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan from 2011 until last year.
Photo courtesy of Huffington Post
