Steven Sotloff
Reacting to the murder of a second American journalist by Islamic State (IS) terrorists yesterday, President Barack Obama said the U.S. would not be intimidated by their brutal behavior and is instead planning to build a coalition that will “degrade and destroy” the group.
The Associated Press is reporting that U.S. intelligence analysts have confirmed the authenticity of a video released yesterday by the IS showing the gruesome beheading of freelance reporter, Steven Sotloff.
The 31 year-old Miami-area native who was also an Israeli citizen, freelanced for major publications such as Time and Foreign Policy magazines. He disappeared a year ago in Syria and was not seen again until he appeared in a video released two weeks ago in which another journalist, James Foley of Rochester, New Hampshire, was beheaded. IS militants warned the U.S. that Sotloff would be murdered if American airstrikes continued.
Sotloff’s mother, Shirley Sotloff, appeared in a video a week after the Foley murder to plead for the life of her son, calling Steven “an innocent journalist” and “an honorable man” who “has always tried to help the weak.”
The second heinous killing has enraged the nation and caused President Obama to make his strongest statement yet against the militants. Instead of hesitating to expand U.S. strikes into Syria, a stance for which he has received widespread criticism, the president now seems more willing to expand the fight as necessary.
“Our objective is clear. That is to degrade and destroy ISIL [IS] so that it is no longer a threat not just to Iraq but also to the region and to the United States,” the president said.
“In order for us to accomplish that, the first phase has been to make sure we’ve got an Iraqi government in place and that we are blunting the momentum that ISIL [IS] was carrying out. And the airstrikes have done that. But now what we need to do is make sure we’ve got the regional strategy in place that can support an ongoing effort not just in the air but on the ground to move that forward.”
He also vowed to fight the “barbaric and ultimately empty vision” of the group which has already caused them to fail in their attempts to gain worldwide recognition.
“Whatever these murderers think they will achieve by murdering innocents like Steven, they have already failed,” Obama said. “We will not be intimated. Their horrific acts only unite us. . . . Americans are repulsed by their barbarism. It’s not only that we’re going to be bringing to justice those who perpetrated this terrible crime against [Foley and Sotloff], more broadly the United States will continue to lead a regional and international effort against the kind of barbaric and ultimately empty vision that ISIL [IS] represents. That’s going to take some time but we’re going to get it done. I’m confident of it.”
In response to IS threats about how “our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people”, the president warned: “Our reach is long and justice will be served.”
The president made these comments during a press conference which was held yesterday in the Estonian capital of Tallinn.
Even Pope Francis is demanding “action” from the international community – including limited military intervention if necessary – to stop the bloody advance of the IS.
“In these cases, where there is an unjust aggression, I can only say that it is licit to stop the unjust aggressor,” he said on August 18 during his flight back to Rome from a visit to South Korea. “I underscore the verb ‘stop.’ I don’t say ‘to bomb’ or ‘make war,’ [but] ‘stop it,’” the Pope added.
The statement is considered a departure from the Holy See’s earlier stance of solving the problem through dialogue or economic sanctions.
To those Christians and other minorities who are in the direct path of the IS and whose numbers are being murdered, kidnapped or driven into exile in record numbers, the Pope has issued a relentless call for justice and mercy.
Just yesterday, the same day that the Sotloff video was released, he was telling a group of Arabic speaking pilgrims, “particularly those from Iraq” that “you are in the heart of the Church; the Church suffers with you and is proud of you; you are her strength and the concrete and authentic witness of her message of salvation, of forgiveness and love. I embrace all of you, all of you. May the Lord bless you and protect you!”
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