After James Foley, it's Steven Sotloff. The Islamic State militant group on Tuesday released a video showing Sotloff being beheaded, a result of the continued air strikes the U.S. has been launching against Iraq.
To those who have seen Foley's video, it would appear like déjà vu. Sotloff's video featured a similar desert setting and a man also wearing an orange jumpsuit. That man is Sotloff and the video starts with him saying "I am Steven Joel Sotloff. I'm sure you know exactly who I am by now. And why I'm appearing before you. And now, it is time for my message." After just a few moments, Sotloff was dead.
"I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and in Amerli, Zumar and the Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings," said a masked figure who took Sotloff's life.
The masked figure, who has come to be known as "Jihadi John," also issued another threat. This time, it was against a British man named David Haines. He also warned governments against working with the U.S. to quell the activities of the Islamic State.
Outgoing Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari, however, was quick to condemn the militant group, calling Sotloff's killing as savage and clear evidence that Western powers and Iraq should work together to beat the Islamic State. "We have a common enemy and the whole world is moving in the right direction to stop this savagery and brutality," he adds.
Sotloff's mother, Shirley, had appealed to the Islamic State's caliph, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, for her son's release last week, saying her son should not be punished for matters he can't control. The Sotloff family has been informed about the video and is grieving privately, according Barak Barfi, the family's spokesman.
After coming from Turkey and crossing the Syrian border, Sotloff was kidnapped near Aleppo on Aug. 4. He was a freelance journalist who worked for Time and other publications, actively engaging in social media as he was covering the Middle East. Sotloff knew the risks of pursuing the hottest stories but his passion wouldn't let him stop, believing stories need to be told.
This most recent attack on an American has prompted calls for President Obama to take action. However, the president has said the U.S. doesn't have a strategy yet to deal with the Islamic State militant group.
With the latest beheading of an American by the extremist, Obama emphatically stated that U.S. will not be intimidated.
"Whatever these murderers think they'll achieve by killing innocent Americans like Steven, they have already failed. We will not forget, and our reach is long and justice will be served," the Obama said.
