LATEST: Video — Revolution’s Women Create “World’s Longest Flag” in Idlib Province
The Islamic State has beheaded a British hostage, aid worker David Haines, and is promising the execution of another Briton, Alan Henning.
A video of the beheading (Warning: Extremely Graphic) was circulated last night on social media. The latest execution follows the jihadists’ killing of two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, in the last four weeks.
As in the previous two execution videos, a masked man was shown carrying out the beheading of Haines, after the aid worker made a statement condemning British Prime Minister David Cameron for planned intervention alongside the US against the Islamic State:
You entered voluntarily into a coalition with the United States against the Islamic State, just as your predecessor, Tony Blair, did, following a trend amongst our British prime ministers who can’t find the courage to say no to the Americans.
Unfortunately, it is we, the British public, that will in the end pay the price for our Parliament’s selfish decisions.
The executioner appeared to be the same English jihadist who carried out the Foley and Sotloff murders. Once more, he issued a declaration meant to scare the West.
However, once more, it primarily showed the Islamic State's concern about the US aerial intervention that has supported an Iraqi-Kurdish counter-offensive retaking territory in Iraq. It also may have been worry about President Obama's speech last week announcing imminent US airstrikes on the jihadists in Syria:
This British man has to pay the price for your promise, Cameron, to arm the [Iraqi Kurdish] Peshmerga against the Islamic State....
Your evil alliance with America which continues to strike the Muslims of Iraq and most recently bombed the Haditha Dam will only accelerate your destruction. And playing the role of the obedient lapdog, Cameron, will only drag you and your people into another bloody and unwinnable war.
The video ends with a warning that Henning will be the next to die.
Haines, an aid worker with the French organization Acted, had been in Syria for just three days in March 2013 when he was kidnapped and handed over to the Islamic State.
Both Cameron and President Obama condemned the killing.
Cameron said, "This is a despicable and appalling murder of an innocent aid worker. It is an act of pure evil....We will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes.”
The Prime Minister will chair an emergency meeting of the Cabinet's COBRA Committee this morning.
Obama's statement restated his promise this week to intervene in Syria and Iraq to "degrade and eventually destroy" the Islamic State:
The United States stands shoulder to shoulder tonight with our close friend and ally in grief and resolve. We will work with the UK 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.
Video: Revolution's Women Create "World's Longest Flag" in Idlib Province
Women in Mazaya in Idlib Province in northwest Syria display the world's longest flag, with the three stars of the Syrian Revolution:
Video: Insurgents Move into al-Hamadiya in Quneitra Offensive in Southwest
Video of the latest advance by insurgents in their offensive in Quneitra Province in southwest Syria --- the move into al-Hamidiyah (see map):
After its summer offensive, the opposition now controls the vast majority of the province, which is on the border with the Golan Heights and the demilitarized zone with Israel.
Prime Minister: We Will Soon Rid Raqqa Province of Islamic State
Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi has declared that Raqqa Province in northern Syria "will soon be rid of the terrorists" of the Islamic State, and "have security restored to it".
The jihadists hold almost all of the province, including Raqqa city, and overran the regime's last military base in the area last month.
Speaking to members of the People’s Assembly representing the province, al-Halqi did not explain how the Syrian military would achieve its victory over the Islamic State.
