ABC News is reporting that the FBI Director James Comey is now confirming that they know the identity of the ISIS killer seen in the video execution of James Foley. And based on video experts who have studied the mannerism of the executioner, the conclusion can be made that he is also responsible for executing Steven Sotloff.
The FBI did not release the name of the individual, but agreed he is from Great Britain.
The hate group from Florida that calls itself “Westboro Baptist Church” has accepted the offer of an Australian comedian to fly to Iraq and protest the beheading of Christians who would not convert to Islam.
The offer to pay for and fly all the members of the “Church” to Iraq came from a popular Australian comedian named Adam Hills. The comedian made the offer last month after learning that members of Westboro planned to protest at the funeral of Robin Williams, calling him “a fag lover!.”
On his show, The Last Leg, Adam Hills said;
“If you really believe in standing up to those threatening the Christian way of life, Westboro Baptist Church, how about putting your money where your mouth is, taking a direct flight to Iraq and picketing the people threatening to behead Christians if they don’t convert. Surely that’s more of a threat to Christianity than a guy who said, ‘you think God ever get stoned? Look at a platypus, I think you’d think he might!’”
Adam Hills then went on to promised to “personally pay for every member of the Westboro Baptiste Church to fly to Iraq right now. I’ll even fly you first class.”
Westboro answered on Twitter that they accepted the offer. Further saying, “We accepted! Whence tickets?”
Hills responded via Twitter, “Oh it’s a deal!”
Like I said above, this happened last month. We are still waiting to see Westboro Baptist “Church” in Iraq holding up signs saying “God Hates ISIS” or “God Hates Islam.” This should be entertaining!
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AFP PHOTO/ RAMI AL-SAYED
An ISIS-linked group has posted a video online allegedly showing the beheading of Frenchman Herve Gourdel.
The 55-year-old man was abducted in Algeria on Monday by a splinter group from Al-Qaeda’s North African branch. The Jund al-Khilafah, or Soldiers of the Caliphate, said it would kill him unless France halts it airstrikes in Iraq within 24 hours.
Update:
French authorities have verified the video’s authenticity.
Terrorism, Russia, Ebola, Climate Change and the nuclear ambitions of Iran were just some of the topics the president touched on in a powerful speech at the General Assembly of the United Nations on Wednesday. But it was his words on terrorism and the role of Muslims around the world in denouncing terrorists groups, that shaped the president’s call to action today.
Here is part of the president’s speech highlighting the threat of terrorism and his call on the world to come together to eradicate it.
Of course, terrorism is not new. Speaking before this Assembly, President Kennedy put it well: “Terror is not a new weapon,” he said. “Throughout history it has been used by those who could not prevail, either by persuasion or example.” In the 20th century, terror was used by all manner of groups who failed to come to power through public support. But in this century, we have faced a more lethal and ideological brand of terrorists who have perverted one of the world’s great religions. With access to technology that allows small groups to do great harm, they have embraced a nightmarish vision that would divide the world into adherents and infidels – killing as many innocent civilians as possible; and employing the most brutal methods to intimidate people within their communities.
I have made it clear that America will not base our entire foreign policy on reacting to terrorism. Rather, we have waged a focused campaign against al Qaeda and its associated forces – taking out their leaders, and denying them the safe-havens they rely upon. At the same time, we have reaffirmed that the United States is not and never will be at war with Islam. Islam teaches peace. Muslims the world over aspire to live with dignity and a sense of justice. And when it comes to America and Islam, there is no us and them – there is only us, because millions of Muslim Americans are part of the fabric of our country.
So we reject any suggestion of a clash of civilizations. Belief in permanent religious war is the misguided refuge of extremists who cannot build or create anything, and therefore peddle only fanaticism and hate. And it is no exaggeration to say that humanity’s future depends on us uniting against those who would divide us along fault lines of tribe or sect; race or religion.
This is not simply a matter of words. Collectively, we must take concrete steps to address the danger posed by religiously motivated fanatics, and the trends that fuel their recruitment. Moreover, this campaign against extremism goes beyond a narrow security challenge. For while we have methodically degraded core al Qaeda and supported a transition to a sovereign Afghan government, extremist ideology has shifted to other places – particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, where a quarter of young people have no job; food and water could grow scarce; corruption is rampant; and sectarian conflicts have become increasingly hard to contain.
As an international community, we must meet this challenge with a focus on four areas. First, the terrorist group known as ISIL must be degraded, and ultimately destroyed.
This group has terrorized all who they come across in Iraq and Syria. Mothers, sisters and daughters have been subjected to rape as a weapon of war. Innocent children have been gunned down. Bodies have been dumped in mass graves. Religious minorities have been starved to death. In the most horrific crimes imaginable, innocent human beings have been beheaded, with videos of the atrocity distributed to shock the conscience of the world.
No God condones this terror. No grievance justifies these actions. There can be no reasoning – no negotiation – with this brand of evil. The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force. So the United States of America will work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network of death.
In this effort, we do not act alone. Nor do we intend to send U.S. troops to occupy foreign lands. Instead, we will support Iraqis and Syrians fighting to reclaim their communities. We will use our military might in a campaign of air strikes to roll back ISIL. We will train and equip forces fighting against these terrorists on the ground. We will work to cut off their financing, and to stop the flow of fighters into and out of the region. Already, over 40 nations have offered to join this coalition. Today, I ask the world to join in this effort. Those who have joined ISIL should leave the battlefield while they can. Those who continue to fight for a hateful cause will find they are increasingly alone. For we will not succumb to threats; and we will demonstrate that the future belongs to those who build – not those who destroy.
Second, it is time for the world – especially Muslim communities – to explicitly, forcefully, and consistently reject the ideology of al Qaeda and ISIL.
It is the task of all great religions to accommodate devout faith with a modern, multicultural world. No children – anywhere – should be educated to hate other people. There should be no more tolerance of so-called clerics who call upon people to harm innocents because they are Jewish, Christian or Muslim. It is time for a new compact among the civilized peoples of this world to eradicate war at its most fundamental source: the corruption of young minds by violent ideology.
The United States launched airstrikes in Syria against ISIS targets, sources tell NBC News. The U.S. military plans to strike up to 20 targets — logistics, fuel and weapons depots; training sites; troop encampments; command and control sites; and headquarters for the Sunni fighters.
The U.S. military will deploy manned and unmanned air assets, including F-22s, B-1 bombers, F-16s, F-15s and F/A-18s. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is at the ready in the Persian Gulf, and the USS Arleigh Burke, a guided missile destroyer that fires Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs), is in the Red Sea.
I never thought there was a proper comparison for The Westboro Baptist Church, but now that this Muslim has dared ventured out on a limb and compared ISIS to the hate-mongers in Westboro, I can absolutely see the connections. They’re both the same. Beheading their ‘enemies’ as in ISIS, or rejoicing when others are killed as in the Baptiste Church, hate is hate and these two groups are masters of it.
Dozens of Turkish hostages abducted by Islamist militants in northern Iraq were freed Saturday after three months in captivity, CNN reports.
Militants from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria raided the Turkish consulate in June and seized 49 people, including Consul General Ozturk Yilmaz.
Others abducted included his family, children and other citizens who were at the consulate in Mosul at the time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
Of the total, three were local employees and 46 were Turkish citizens. All were freed and the latter are now in their home country, Turkish authorities said.
It’s unclear how they were freed, but Erdogan thanked Turkish intelligence officials in a statement on his website.
“I thank … every single member of the national intelligence agency from the director to the field operatives,” he said. “I congratulate them for their big success from the bottom of my heart.”
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I must say, I totally agree.
In his weekly address, President Obama spoke about the strategy to “degrade and destroy” ISIL. And he emphasized that although there are no immediate threats against America, actions must be taken now to combat the terrorist group. With that said, the President explained that ISIL is not only a threat to neighboring countries, but its threat is potentially global. And he said that over 40 countries have already come forward to join the effort to eradicate the ISIL plague.
Over 40 countries have offered to help the broad campaign against ISIL so far – from training and equipment, to humanitarian relief, to flying combat missions. And this week, at the United Nations, I’ll continue to rally the world against this threat.
Although warmongers like John McCain and Lindsay Graham are calling for more American troops in the middle east, the president once again reiterated that in the fight with ISIS, there would be no American “boots on the ground.” And he also spoke about the developing Ebola crisis in Africa.
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A new video released by ISIS shows yet another beheading, this time, of a British citizen named David Haines and aimed at Britain for their support of America’s war against ISIS. The video follows the horrific beheading of American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff… in the name of ISLAM!
The video was done in the same fashion as the previous executions, with the executioner exhibiting the same mannerisms as the others, giving support to the theory that the same individual is responsible for all the murders.
Before he was murdered, Mr. Haines looks into the camera and says: ‘My name is David Cawthorne Haines. I would like to declare that I hold you David Cameron entirely responsible for my execution.”
‘You entered voluntarily into a coalition with the United States against the Islamic State just as your predecessor Tony Blair did, following a trend against our British prime ministers who can’t find the courage to say no to the Americans.
‘Unfortunately it is we the British public that in the end will pay the price for our Parliament’s selfish decision.”
In a message to British Prime Minister, David Cameron, the executioner said “This British man has to pay the price for your promise, Cameron, to arm the Peshmerga against the Islamic State. Ironically, he has spent a decade of his life serving under the same Royal Air Force that is responsible for delivering those arms. 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.”
At the end of the video, another British citizen was shown as the next victi in ISIS’ murder spre. A man named Alan Henning.
In his weekly address, President Obama took his new call to degrade and defend ISIL directly to the American people, explaining the importance of taking the fight directly to the terrorist group.
As Commander-in-Chief, my highest priority is the security of the American people. And I’ve made it clear that those who threaten the United States will find no safe haven. Thanks to our military and counterterrorism professionals, we took out Osama bin Laden, much of al Qaeda’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and leaders of al Qaeda affiliates in Yemen and Somalia. We’ve prevented terrorist attacks, saved American lives and made our homeland more secure.
Today, the terrorist threat is more diffuse, from al Qaeda affiliates and other extremists—like ISIL in Syria and Iraq. As I said this week, our intelligence community has not yet detected specific ISIL plots against our homeland. But its leaders have repeatedly threatened the United States. And, if left unchecked, these terrorists could pose a growing threat beyond the Middle East, including to the United States. So we’re staying vigilant. And we’re moving ahead with our strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist organization.
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