From beheading American journalists to raping and killing women to pushing gay men off buildings, the burgeoning Islamic “state” is exercising its might through brute terrorism. And their tactics are growing more evil:
The Islamic State group released a video on Tuesday purportedly showing the burning alive of a Jordanian pilot it had captured in December.The video released online showed images of a man purported to be Maaz al-Kassasbeh engulfed in flames inside a metal cage.
Kassasbeh was captured on December 24 after his F-16 jet crashed while on a mission over northern Syria as part of the US-led coalition campaign against the jihadists.
The highly produced, 22-minute video shows footage of Kassasbeh sitting at a table discussing coalition operations against IS, with flags from the various Western and Arab countries in the alliance projected in the background.
President Obama addressed these developments earlier today.
“Should, in fact, this video be authentic, it’s just one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity of this organization,” he said. “And I think it will redouble the vigilance and determination on the part of a global coalition to make sure that they are degraded and ultimately defeated.”
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest later added that ISIS’ brutal tactics will not impede the U.S. government's attempts to free imprisoned Westerners.
“The president has already ordered his team to devote all of the available resources that we have to try to locate anybody -- but particularly Americans -- who are being held hostage by ISIL,” he said. “And we’ve made clear that the president is willing to devote significant diplomatic intelligence, even military resources, to try and secure the release of our citizens.”
“You already know that White House officials are in close touch with the families of those who are being held against their will...and we’ll continue to be,” he added. “They’re going through what is, I think, an unimaginable tragedy.”