Peter Kassig's murder not shown but a severed head said to be his is seen

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[h=1]'The Islamic State will slaughter your people in your streets': New 'Jihadi John' threat to Britain and the US in latest horrific ISIS video which claims to show beheaded American aid worker[/h]

• Peter Kassig's murder not shown but a severed head said to be his is seen
• Mr Kassig was a former U.S. soldier turned aid worker in Syria
• Video also shows the graphic execution of dozens of Syrian soldiers
• Prime Minister says he's 'horrified by the cold blooded murder'
• White House says intelligence agencies are examining the video

 

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A masked jihadist today issued a chilling threat to the West in a video purporting to show the severed head of a U.S. aid worker and a mass murder of Syrian soldiers.
Speaking in the now-familiar London accent of Islamic State executioner-cum-spokesman Jihadi John, the militant issues the bloodcurdling threat in the group's latest propaganda video.
Later in the same video, which emerged today, it is claimed that another Western hostage, the aid worker and former U.S. army ranger Peter Kassig, has also been executed.

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New threat: A masked killer who may be the same man seen in previous Islamic State execution videos, a Briton known as Jihadi John, issued a chilling threat before the mass murder of Syrian airmen in this clip

A severed head said to Mr Kassig's is shown at the end of the near 16-minute long clip, which was uploaded to video sharing sites and publicised via Twitter.
But it is at the beginning of an earlier scene, showing the graphic mass murder of Syrian air force personnel, that the masked militant issues his threat against civilians in the U.S. and UK.

 

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It shows the men led to a place in the desert by bearded, uniformed jihadis who each pick up a knife which they will use to saw the heads off their victims.
As militants stand in a row with their hostages kneeling in front of them, Jihadi John says: 'To Obama, the dog of Rome. Today we are slaughtering the soldiers of Bashar and tomorrow we will be slaughtering your soldiers.
'And with Allah's permission we will break this final and last crusade. And the Islamic State will soon, like your puppet David Cameron said, begin to slaughter your people in your streets.'

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'Murdered': Peter Kassig in front of a truck somewhere along the Syrian border between late 2012 and autumn 2013 as Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA) was delivering supplies to refugees

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'Treasured son': Mr Kassig as a youth with his parents Ed and Paula Kassig. They said they were awaiting confirmation of their son's death and asked people to remember him for his humanitarian work

 

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Prime Minister David Cameron said he was 'horrified by the cold blooded murder' of US hostage Peter Kassig, and claimed that Islamic State militants 'have again shown their depravity'.
Mr Cameron said: 'These beheadings show once again what a depraved organisation this is.
'Like others who have been murdered in cold blood by ISIL, Abdul-Rahman Kassig was a selfless humanitarian worker who had gone to the region to help care for those fleeing the Syrian conflict.
'This underlines the deplorable depths to which these terrorists are prepared to go - savagely murdering a compassionate man.'
The Prime Minister said his 'heart goes out' to Mr Kassig's family.
The White House says U.S. intelligence agencies are trying to determine the authenticity whether the video is real.
National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan says that if the video is authentic, the White House would be 'appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American.'
She says the White House expresses its deepest condolences to Mr Kassig's family and friends.

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Boasts: A severed head said to be that of Mr Kassig is shown on the ground in this location, said to be Dabiq, which is where Islamic State militants believe a final decisive battle will be fought with Western forces

Mr Kassig's family, in the U.S. state of Indiana, said they were awaiting confirmation of the reports about their 'treasured son'.
His parents, who have campaigned tirelessly for his release, said in a statement: 'We are aware of the news reports being circulated about our treasured son and are waiting for confirmation from the government as to the authenticity of these reports. We will have no other statement at this time and ask that you please respect our privacy.
'The family respectfully asks that the news media avoid playing into the hostage takers’ hands and refrain from publishing or broadcasting photographs or video distributed by the hostage takers.
'We prefer our son is written about and remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family, not in the manner the hostage takers would use to manipulate Americans and further their cause.'

 

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Last seen: Mr Kassig paraded at the end of the video which showed the killing of aid worker Alan Henning

Mr Kassig was captured in Syria in October last year while providing medical training and humanitarian aid to victims of the country's conflict. He had converted to Islam during his captivity and taken the name Abdul-Rahman.
Previous beheading videos showed a desert landscape but in this latest release appears to be in front of a town with fields in the distance.
Mr Kassig's apparent murder is not shown. At the end of the video, which intersperses various executions with file footage of U.S. forces in Iraq and later clips of Islamic State battles, a bloodied, decapitated head is shown at the feet of a militant wearing khaki boots.

 

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Above him stands a masked militant who may be Jihadi John, the man believed be from Britain who wielded the knife in four previous murders of Western hostages.
His voice sounds similar to the voice of the masked militant who has featured in previous videos. He has what sounds like a London accent despite his voice being distorted to make it more difficult to identify him.
A dateline on the video says it has been shot in Dabiq, which is the location where Islamic State militants believe a decisive final battle will be fought with Western forces.
He says: 'This is Peter Edward Kassig, a U.S. citizen of your country. Peter, who fought against the Muslims in Iraq while serving as a soldier under the American army, doesn't have much to say. His previous cell mates have already spoken on his behalf.
'But we say to you Obama ... you claim to have withdrawn from Iraq four years ago. We said to you then that you are liars, that you have not withdrawn and that if you had withdrawn that you would return, even if after some time.
'You would return. Here you are. You have not withdrawn. Rather, you hid some of your forces behind your proxies and withdrawn the rest. Your forces will return, greater in number than they were before.
'You will return and your proxies will not benefit you.
'And we also remind you of the haunting words that our Sheikh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi told you. The spark has been lit here in Iraq and its heat will continue to intensify by Allah's permission until it burns the crusader army in Dabiq.
'And here we are, burying the first crusader in Dabiq. Eagerly awaiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive.'
The video also shows Jihadi John leading the mass execution of Syrian military personnel by jihadis at a desert location. Unlike the apparent murders of Western hostages, in which the camera cuts away at the moment their throats are cut, these killings are shown in full.

 

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[h=3]IHADI JOHN'S FIFTH VICTIM?[/h]The video showing what appeared to be the fifth beheading victim of the Islamic State militant known as Jihadi John was released just hours after reports emerged that he was injured in an allied air strike.
The masked fanatic, who is thought to be British and speaks with a London accent, is believed to be responsible for the killings of two Britons and three Americans.
Footage of Peter Kassig's death was posted online today but it is not known whether it was shot before the reported U.S.-led air strike on a summit of IS commanders.
It is claimed he was taken to hospital after narrowly escaping death in the raid on the town of Al Qaim, in Anbar province, near Iraq's border with Syria, which is said to have taken place on November 8.
Jihadi John has become one of the world's most wanted men since the release of the first beheading footage - the killing of US journalist James Foley - on August 19.
Only his eyes are visible during the videos and no-one has officially confirmed who he is.
In September, FBI director James Comey revealed that intelligence services had identified the man. However, he refused to give the individual's name or nationality publicly.
The release of yet another beheading video will intensify international efforts to track down Jihadi John as soon as possible.

 

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Unsettling: The video also shows the mass murder of Syrian military personnel by beheading led by Jihadi John at a desert location. Unlike the murder of Western hostages, the killing of the Syrians is shown in full

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Bloodthirsty: The video shows in full graphic detail how the militants saw the heads off their victims

Mr Kassig's parents broke their silence over his captivity last month because 'the dynamics' had changed and they feared for his life.
Their son had formed the aid organisation Special Emergency Response and Assistance, or SERA, in Turkey to provide aid and assistance to Syrian refugees.
He began delivering food and medical supplies to Syrian refugee camps in 2012 and was also a trained medical assistant who provided trauma care to injured Syrian civilians and helped train 150 civilians in providing medical aid.
Paula and Ed Kassig said they had been doing all they could to free their son but were silent about his plight for a year at the instructions of the IS militants. Mr Kassig told U.S. show CBS This Morning: 'They demand. They simply demand.'
His wife added: 'We have sent them back messages that we cannot do what you ask. We have tried. But we don't have the power to do it.'
Their son was born Peter but changed his name to Abdul-Rahman following his conversion to Islam while in captivity.

 

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Aid: Mr Kassig in front of a truck somewhere along the Syrian border between late 2012 and autumn 2013

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'They demand. They simply demand': Paula and Ed Kassig said they had been doing all they could to free their 26-year-old son but were silent about his plight for a year at the instructions of the IS militants

Paula Kassig told NBC's Today show that the couple received an audio recording of their son in which he said he thought his time was running out.
The couple also released excerpts from a letter written by Peter in which he feared 'it may very well be coming down to the wire here'.
The latest video is the fourth time this year that IS has published footage showing the murder of Western hostages.
The beheading of American journalist James Foley was released online in August, while videos of the killings of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning were posted in September and October, respectively.

 

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A British Muslim leader condemned the latest killing. Shaukat Warraich, editor of Imamsonline.com, said: 'The murder of Abdul-Rahman Kassig is an affront to Islam. The murderous criminals are a stain on humanity and their wicked ways must be stopped.
'To take the life of another, one whose life has been dedicated to providing aid to our brothers and sisters suffering in Syria, Iraq and the surrounding regions further highlights the inhumane, revolting and unIslamic terrorists for what they really are.'
Labour leader Ed Miliband said: 'My deepest sympathies go to the family of Abdul-Rahman Kassig today. These brutal killers must face justice.
'I am sickened by the senseless murder of a man who had dedicated his life to helping others.'
Former prime minister Sir John Major described the murder as '13th-century barbarism'.
He told BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show: 'The people they are murdering, which makes it doubly worse, triply worse, are people who actually went there to help those in difficulty and in need.
'They are being murdered in the most brutal ways, almost beyond belief.'
On whether Britain is in a position to do something about the situation, Sir John added: 'I don't think we can do all that much about it alone, but can we contribute to helping other people to do something about it - I think the answer is undoubtedly yes.
'Though unless we want the old argument that the crusaders have come in to attack, we really need to support other Arabs on the ground and use our power in other ways to help them - surveillance, training, provide weapons and so forth - I think that is a proper role for us.'
Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said: 'If this video is authenticated, all of us in the UK will feel revulsion at this latest sickening murder. It only emphasises the scale of the threat posed by Isil and the importance of the international community working together to confront that threat.'
The militant Islamic State group has beheaded and shot dead hundreds of captives - mainly Syrian and Iraqi soldiers - during its sweep across the two countries, and has celebrated mass killings in a series of slickly produced but extremely graphic videos.
The group has declared an Islamic caliphate in the areas under its control in Syria and Iraq, which it governs according to a harsh version of Shariah law.
The U.S. began launching air strikes in Iraq and Syria earlier this year in a bid to halt the group's rapid advance and eventually degrade and destroy it.

 

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[h=3]ISLAMIC STATE'S WESTERN VICTIMS[/h]

• James Foley - this 40-year-old American freelance photojournalist was documenting the Syrian civil war when he was snatched in November 2012 in the country's north west. His murder was shown in a video released in August.
• Steven Sotloff - an Israeli-American journalist working for both TIME and The Jerusalem Post who was kidnapped in Aleppo, Syria, in 2013. The 31-year-old's apparent beheading was shown in a video released on September 2.
• David Haines - the 44-year-old British humanitarian aid worker was taken hostage while working at a refugee camp in Idlib, Syria, near the Turkish border. His abduction only became public when he appeared in the Sotloff execution video. He was apparently killed on camera in a video released on September 13.
• Alan Henning - this volunteer aide worker from Britain, 47, had been working with Islamic charities to deliver food and water to people affected by Syria's civil war. He was abducted in the city of Al-Dana when that area fell under the control of Islamic State fighters in December 2013. A video showing his apparent murder was released on October 3.

 

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[h=3]BRITISH SOLDIERS MAY HAVE TO FIGHT IN IRAQ AND SYRIA AND AGAINST THE ISLAMIC STATE, SAYS FORMER ARMY CHIEF LORD DANNATT[/h]

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'We have got to keep all options open': Former head of the Army General Lord Dannatt says British soldiers may be needed in Iraq and Syria

British combat troops may have to fight in Iraq and Syria against the so-called Islamic State, a former head of the army said.
General Lord Dannatt said Western leaders might have to 'think the unthinkable' and send in troops if the combination of air strikes and local forces was unable to counter the insurgency.
The former chief of the general staff said the Government should think again about whether to join in air strikes against IS targets in Syria but ultimately bombing missions may not be enough.
In an interview following the release of a video apparently showing the severed head of U.S. aid worker Peter Kassig, Lord Dannatt said 'more concerted action' was needed.
Lord Dannatt said: 'Of course it means attacking Isil from the air, it means attacking them from the air over Iraq and Syria - and our Government has got to think about that one very closely.
'It also means we have got to build up local forces more quickly and more effectively on the ground, to get in there and to not just defend their own villages, towns and cities but to attack Isil fighters were they are.
'If that is not enough then we might have to think the unthinkable and possibly engage Western forces on the ground. I don't see that happening in a great rush, there's no appetite for it, there's no political appetite for it.
'But we have got to keep all options open if we are serious about meeting that strategic objective of defeating and destroying Islamic State.'
Lord Dannatt called for national debates in the UK and the West about the possibility of intervention.
'The evidence is showing us that this is not going to go away and that more action is going to have to be taken,' he said.
'I don't want to see British troops involved. We have had 10, 12 years of exhaustive intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan.
'But are we just going to wish this away or are we going to to take action? That's what has got to be addressed in a national debate.'

 

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Friends and colleagues mourn Peter Kassig after his apparent murder at the hands of Islamic State
Peter Kassig first experienced the Middle East as soldier, then returned as a student and, finally, as a humanitarian intent on helping those whose lives were upended by the brutal civil war in Syria, whatever their allegiance.
It was while delivering relief supplies for an aid group he founded that he was captured in eastern Syria on October 1, 2013, almost a year to the day in which he appeared in the Islamic State group's video of the beheading of British hostage Alan Henning.
The militants vowed then that Kassig would be next, and they released a video early Sunday that appeared to show that the 26-year-old aid worker had been beheaded. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the video's authenticity, but it was released in the same manner as other IS videos.

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Big heart: Peter Kassig is shown with a truck loaded with supplies during a humanitarian mission in Syria

Kassig's parents, Ed and Paula Kassig of Indianapolis, released a statement early Sunday through a family spokeswoman.
'We are aware of the news reports being circulated about our treasured son and are waiting for confirmation from the government as to the authenticity of these reports.' They said they would have no additional comment and requested privacy.
The release of the October 3 video was heartbreaking for Kassig's family and friends, who had been silent for a year after his capture. Kassig converted to Islam and took the name Abdul-Rahman while in captivity, and his family spent the ensuing weeks pleading for his life and stressing his humanitarian work and conversion to Islam in rallies and interviews in Indiana and Lebanon. His mother also took to Twitter in hopes of contacting his captors directly.




His parents repeatedly said that they were unable to meet the demands made of them by Peter's captors, but they did not specify what those demands were.
Kassig served in the Mideast after enlisting in the Army in 2004 and ultimately served in the 75th Ranger Regiment, a special operations unit, according to his military record. He served in Iraq from April until July 2007, and was medically discharged as a private first class that September.
Kassig's desire to perform aid work in the region was kindled during a spring break trip to Beirut while he was studying political science at Butler University. He left school and returned to Lebanon in 2012, where he worked as a medical assistant and humanitarian worker and treated people from all sides of the conflict in neighboring Syria.
Kassig founded a relief organization, Special Emergency Response and Assistance, or SERA, around the belief that 'there was a lot of room for improvement in terms of how humanitarian organizations interact with and cooperate with the populations that they serve.'
In a January 2013 interview with Time magazine, Kassig said he traveled heavily throughout Lebanon to assess the needs of people there. SERA, he said, focused on supplementing the work of larger organizations by delivering aid that could 'do the most good for the most people over the longest period of time possible.'
'It's about showing people that we care, that someone is looking out for those who might be overlooked or who have slipped through the cracks in the system for whatever reason,' he said.
Kassig's friends and family say he understood the risks involved of working in the region, but that he felt called to help.

 

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[h=3]THE KASSIG FAMILY'S STATEMENT[/h]'We are aware of the news reports being circulated about our treasured son and are waiting for confirmation from the government as to the authenticity of these reports. We will have no other statement at this time and ask that you please respect our privacy.
'The family respectfully asks that the news media avoid playing into the hostage takers’ hands and refrain from publishing or broadcasting photographs or video distributed by the hostage takers.
'We prefer our son is written about and remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family, not in the manner the hostage takers would use to manipulate Americans and further their cause.'

 

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Syrian refugees Ahmed Obaid, left, Firas Mousa, center, and Safwan Khatib, right, all friends of Mr Kassig, hold up signs calling for his release during a press conference in the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon

Burhan Agha, a 26-year-old Syrian, used to work with Kassig in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, delivering aid to Syrian refugees before Kassig moved his operations to southern Turkey. Speaking by phone from Switzerland, where he is seeking asylum, Agha described his friend's killing as senseless.
'If I could apologize to each American, one by one, I would,' Agha said while weeping. 'Because Peter died in Syria, while he was helping the Syrian people. And those who killed him claimed to have done it in the name of Islam. I am a Muslim, and from Syria, and he is considered a part of the Syrian revolution.'
Joe Dages, a friend from Louisville, Kentucky, recently told the AP that it was clear how passionate Kassig was about his work when he last saw him in March 2013.
'He felt a need to stay up all day and all night and continue to help because people were dying all the time,' Dages said. 'He thought that maybe if I can just pour a little more of myself into this we can save a few more lives.'
The Syrian war has killed at least 200,000 people according to activists. It has also been an extremely deadly place for aid workers and reporters.
SERA suspended its efforts while Kassig's family worked to secure his release.

 

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[h=3]TIMELINE OF BRUTAL ISLAMIC STATE KILLINGS[/h]The murder of US aid worker Peter Kassig was the fifth such killing to be filmed and released by the Islamic State (IS). Here is a timeline of events, starting with the days leading up to the death of the first hostage, US journalist James Foley.

• Summer 2014 - A rescue mission fails to free Mr Foley from a secret location where he is being held by IS. The American freelance journalist, 40, was captured two years earlier.
• August 13: Mr Foley's family receive a message that he will be murdered.
• August 19: al-Furqan Media, which is controlled by the terror group, releases a video appearing to show Mr Foley's killing. His death apparently happened at some time in the previous week. Social media bosses are forced to act swiftly in banning both the video and still images of the beheading, while concerns mount for fellow reporter and captive Steven Sotloff, who is seen pleading for the US to stop air strikes in Iraq at the end of the video.
• August 20: David Cameron cuts short a family holiday in Cornwall to hold meetings in Downing Street over the 'shocking and depraved' murder. Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama remains defiant over his country's war on terror. He says: 'We will be vigilant and we will be relentless.'
• August 21: The killer is reported to be a British man who goes under the moniker 'Jihadi John'.
• September 2: Mr Cameron condemns the 'disgusting and despicable' video apparently showing Mr Sotloff wearing an orange jumpsuit and being beheaded by IS militants. The alleged killer speaks with a British accent, prompting suggestions he is the man who murdered Mr Foley. It emerges that a British hostage, now known to be aid worker David Haines, is also under threat.
• September 4: At the start of a Nato summit in Wales, leaders of the Western alliance show a united front in response to terror threats. Mr Cameron and Mr Obama insist they will not weaken in the face of threats from IS terrorists. The Prime Minister refuses to rule out joining the US in air strikes on IS. He says Britain must 'use everything we have in our armoury' to squash the terrorists out of existence.
• September 5: Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond joins Mr Cameron in saying the Government will not hold back on launching air strikes, and says threats on Mr Haines's life by his captors will not deter the UK from taking action. The Nato summit ends with a pledge to 'degrade and defeat' IS militants.
• September 9: Defence Secretary Michael Fallon confirms Britain will supply £1.6 million of machine guns and ammunition to Kurdish forces fighting IS militants in northern Iraq as part of a burgeoning international effort to drive back the jihadists.
• September 10: Mr Obama authorises air strikes inside Syria for the first time as well as an expansion of strikes in Iraq.
• September 13: A video showing the murder of British aid worker Mr Haines is released. The video, which involves the 44-year-old saying Mr Cameron and former PM Tony Blair should be held responsible for his death, is widely condemned. It comes hours after Mr Haines's family issue a plea to his captors to contact them. The clip also includes a threat to kill a second British hostage.
• September 14: Mr Cameron calls an emergency meeting of its Cobra committee in the wake of the murder. The next British hostage, 47-year-old minicab driver Alan Henning, is named as the man shown in the video.
• September 19: Islamic militants release a propaganda video featuring a British hostage believed to be journalist John Cantlie.
• September 23: Islamic extremists release a new propaganda video appearing to feature Mr Cantlie. The clip is the second showing the journalist to be circulated by IS militants in less than a week. It comes as the US - backed by Arab allies - carries out its first wave of air strikes on IS militants in Syria.
• September 24: Britain appears ready to ramp up its military involvement in the struggle against IS, as Mr Cameron addresses the United Nations in New York.
• September 25: FBI director James Comey is reported to have confirmed that the identity of Jihadi John has been uncovered. However, he refused to give the individual's name publicly.
• September 26: MPs vote by 524 to 43 to endorse attacks on the militants in Iraq in support of the United States-led coalition. The vote clears the way for RAF warplanes stationed in Cyprus to begin combat operations as soon as suitable targets are identified.
• September 27: RAF Tornado GR4 fighter bombers carry out their first sortie over Iraq since Parliament gave the green light for air strikes without finding any targets to attack.
• October 3: A video showing the brutal murder of Mr Henning, 47, by IS militants is posted on the internet. Mr Cameron vows to 'hunt down' the 'repulsive' terrorists responsible for the beheading.
• October 7: Former Guantanamo Bay detainee Moazzam Begg claims he offered to help the Government secure the release of Mr Henning but was rebuffed. Mr Begg says he believed he knew those who held the murdered aid worker and had helped secure the release of hostages from extremists in Syria in the past.
• October 13: Mr Cantlie's sister urges IS to 'restart dialogue' with his family.
• November 16: IS releases a video showing the beheading of American hostage Peter Kassig. The IS militant in the footage speaks with a London accent and appears to be Jihadi John. Mr Kassig was captured in Syria in October 2013 while providing medical training and humanitarian aid to victims of the country's conflict.

 

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[h=1]Did ISIS hostage Peter Kassig REFUSE to read jihadist speech in murder video? Speculation over final moments of 'selfless' aid worker as terrorists are left with just one U.S. hostage - a 26-year-old woman[/h]

• Video showing aid worker Peter Kassig's severed head released Sunday
• But differed from previous hostage films by not showing moment of death
• Also did not include a canned speech condemning Western nations
• Has led to speculation Kassig knew what was coming and refused to comply
• Earlier today, White House confirmed ISIS's graphic video was genuine
• Mr Kassig was captured in Syria in October last year while providing aid
• Video of his murder also shows execution of dozens of Syrian soldiers
• In last letter to parents, received in June, Peter said he was 'scared' to die

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Shocked: British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was 'horrified by the cold blooded murder' of Peter and claimed that Islamic State (also known as ISIL) militants 'have again shown their depravity'

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Desperate: Last month, the couple appealed directly to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi on Twitter, begging him to spare their only son's life. Above, Mrs Kassig's tweet, featuring a letter to al Baghdadi


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"We hope our son is written about and remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family"

Ed and Paula Kassig



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