what a maroon to quote bugs bunny On Sun, Nov 16, 2014 at 6:54 PM, Keith In Tampa <[email protected]> wrote:
> President Obama called this one correctly: "Pure Evil". > > This man was a former soldier, a Muslim and went back over to Syria to > offer medical assistance and aid: > > > http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/16/world/meast/isis-kassig-killing-images/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 > > *(CNN)* -- American aid worker and former soldier Peter Kassig > <http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/03/world/meast/isis-peter-kassig/index.html> was > beheaded by ISIS terrorists, the White House confirmed Sunday, hours after > a video claiming to show the victim surfaced online. > > ISIS held Kassig as a hostage and in previous communications had > threatened his life. > > The video shows the aftermath of a beheading in which the victim is not > clearly recognizable. > > President Barack Obama confirmed the 26-year-old's beheading, saying > Kassig "was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that > the world rightly associates with inhumanity." > > Kassig, who converted to Islam in captivity, also went by the name > Abdul-Rahman Kassig. > Kassig: 'Able to share a bit of hope' > Obama: Beheading was 'act of pure evil' > How is this ISIS video different? > ISIS reportedly beheads Peter Kassig > > He first traveled to the Middle East as a U.S. soldier and returned as a > medical worker, feeling compelled to help victims of war. > > He did aid work in Syria, where he was captured. He was held hostage for > over a year. > > "We are heartbroken to learn that our son, Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, has > lost his life as a result of his love for the Syrian people and his desire > to ease their suffering," Kassig's parents, Ed and Paula, said in a > statement. > > The Kassig family expressed heartbreak over the beheadings of the other > Westerners who came before their son, and asked for prayers for the safe > return of other captives. > > "While ISIL revels in the slaughter of innocents, including Muslims, and > is bent only on sowing death and destruction, Abdul-Rahman was a > humanitarian who worked to save the lives of Syrians injured and > dispossessed by the Syrian conflict," Obama said. > > ISIL is another term for the group ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and > Syria, which calls itself simply the Islamic State. > > *The video* > > A familiar figure appeared in Sunday's beheading video, dressed in all > black and speaking with what sounds like an English accent. > > A man fitting the same description appeared in previous videos of the > apparent beheadings of other Westerners. > > But this recording is different from previously released ones. It is > longer, almost 16 minutes, and does not include a statement by the victim, > as previous ones had. > > And it is utterly brutal, showing in graphic detail the beheadings of > other men, whom militants claim are pilots for the Syrian government. > > The narration spends much time on ISIS' history and the figure taunts > Obama, saying he will have to return troops to Iraq in greater numbers than > before. > > And for the first time in such a video, the speaker names the place where > he is standing with the victim -- in the town of Dabiq in Aleppo province, > Syria. > > *The fifth Westerner* > > Kassig is the fifth Westerner whom ISIS claims to have beheaded > <http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/isis-fast-facts/>via video messages. > > The first was U.S. journalist James Foley. A video of his killing was > posted online in mid-August, just over a week after Obama approved > "targeted airstrikes" against ISIS. > > In early September, ISIS released a video showing the beheading of U.S. > journalist Steven Sotloff. Sotloff's apparent killer spoke in what sounded > like the same British accent as the man who purportedly killed Foley. > > Less than two weeks later, ISIS announced in a video the apparent killing > of British aid worker David Haines. > > And on October 3, ISIS released a video showing the apparent beheading of > hostage Alan Henning. > > Secretary of State John Kerry praised Kassig's compassion and reiterated > the goal of defeating ISIS. > > "This was a young man who traveled to one of the world's most dangerous > places to care for the innocent victims of a bloody conflict, and > fearlessly dedicated himself to helping those in need," Kerry said. "There > can be no greater contrast than that between Abdul-Rahman's generosity of > spirit and the pernicious evil of ISIL." > > *Plea for mercy* > > Kassig's life was threatened on the video that showed Henning's killing. > > A week after its release, Kassig's family released a YouTube video of > their own, asking his captors to show mercy and free him. > > Kassig's mother, Paula, addressed her son in the video. "We are so very > proud of you and the work you have done to bring humanitarian aid to the > Syrian people," she said. > > The couple noted they were releasing the video on the day of Islam's Eid > al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, when Muslims slaughter lambs, goats, > sheep and cattle and distribute the meat to the poor and their families. > > A native of Indiana, Peter Kassig founded Special Emergency Response and > Assistance, a nongovernmental organization aiding Syrians fleeing the civil > war there. > > From 2012, he delivered food and medical supplies within and outside Syria > and provided trauma care and training, his family said. > > *Soldier, helper, captive* > > Kassig's journey began when he joined the U.S. Army Rangers in 2006 and > deployed to Iraq in 2007. He was honorably discharged for medical reasons > after a brief tour and returned to the United States to study political > science and train for 1,500-meter races. But something wasn't right. > > "I was going to school with kids who look the same, were the same age as > me, but we weren't the same," he said in an interview with CNN in 2012 > <http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/20/world/meast/syria-us-soldier/>. "I wanted > more of a challenge, a sense of purpose." > > In 2010, Kassig took time off and began his certification as an emergency > medical technician. > > In the two years that followed, he fell in love, got married and quickly > divorced. Devastated and heartbroken, he went back to school, but he > couldn't shake his depression. > > "I needed a game changer," he said. > > He eventually traveled to Lebanon and founded SERA to deliver food and > medical supplies to swelling refugee camps. > > On October 1, 2013, he was "detained" on his way to Deir Ezzor in eastern > Syria, his family said. > > "Peter really believed that an individual can make a difference in the > world through their love and compassion and intelligence," said Margaret > Brabant, Kassig's college adviser and a professor at Butler Univeristy in > Indianapolis. "... That is the message that I think Peter would want me to > convey." > > Hostages tortured before beheadings > <http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/26/world/meast/isis-beheading-torture/index.html> > > CNN's Alexandra Field, Arwa Damon, Yousuf Basil and Christine Sever > contributed to this report. > > -- > -- > Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. > For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum > > * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ > * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. > * Read the latest breaking news, and more. > > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "PoliticalForum" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. 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