SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
US Journalist Steven Sotloff Reportedly Killed by ISIS
State department working to confirm authenticity of video purporting to show Sotloff's beheading
Sep 02, 2014
According to reports, U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff has been killed by fighters with the Islamic State after a video purporting to show his beheading death was released and flagged on Tuesday by the SITE Intelligence Group, a research group that tracks jihadist web postings.
Sotloff, 31, a freelance journalist, was kidnapped in Syria in August 2013.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, state department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that the U.S. government has not confirmed the authenticity of the video but said that the intelligence community was working as quickly as possible to confirm its contents.
Sotloff's alleged killing comes less than two weeks after journalist James Foley was killed by Islamic State (also known as ISIS) fighters--an action which was made public through the release of a similar video.
In the latest video, Mr. Sotloff describes himself as "paying the price" for the Obama administration's decision to strike ISIS targets in Iraq. The same masked fighter who appeared in the video of Mr. Foley's beheading also appears beside Mr. Sotloff, asserting, "I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State."
The SITE group also said ISIS was threatening a third captive, a Briton it identified as David Cawthorne Haines, as the next beheading victim.
At least two other Americans are believed to be held by ISIS.
Over the weekend, the U.S. military continued to conduct air strikes against the group in Iraq as part of an international "humanitarian" mission.
During the briefing, Psaki noted that the killing of Foley has "helped to motivate the creation of international coalition" to "address this threat." U.S. officials have pivoted on the atrocities committed by individuals claiming membership to ISIS to push for more military intervention in Iraq and Syria.
However, those opposed to a military response continue to remind the public that it was such U.S. intervention--including the 2003 invasion of Iraq that dramatically destabilized the region--that helped create the armed and brutal militia group in the first place.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
According to reports, U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff has been killed by fighters with the Islamic State after a video purporting to show his beheading death was released and flagged on Tuesday by the SITE Intelligence Group, a research group that tracks jihadist web postings.
Sotloff, 31, a freelance journalist, was kidnapped in Syria in August 2013.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, state department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that the U.S. government has not confirmed the authenticity of the video but said that the intelligence community was working as quickly as possible to confirm its contents.
Sotloff's alleged killing comes less than two weeks after journalist James Foley was killed by Islamic State (also known as ISIS) fighters--an action which was made public through the release of a similar video.
In the latest video, Mr. Sotloff describes himself as "paying the price" for the Obama administration's decision to strike ISIS targets in Iraq. The same masked fighter who appeared in the video of Mr. Foley's beheading also appears beside Mr. Sotloff, asserting, "I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State."
The SITE group also said ISIS was threatening a third captive, a Briton it identified as David Cawthorne Haines, as the next beheading victim.
At least two other Americans are believed to be held by ISIS.
Over the weekend, the U.S. military continued to conduct air strikes against the group in Iraq as part of an international "humanitarian" mission.
During the briefing, Psaki noted that the killing of Foley has "helped to motivate the creation of international coalition" to "address this threat." U.S. officials have pivoted on the atrocities committed by individuals claiming membership to ISIS to push for more military intervention in Iraq and Syria.
However, those opposed to a military response continue to remind the public that it was such U.S. intervention--including the 2003 invasion of Iraq that dramatically destabilized the region--that helped create the armed and brutal militia group in the first place.
According to reports, U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff has been killed by fighters with the Islamic State after a video purporting to show his beheading death was released and flagged on Tuesday by the SITE Intelligence Group, a research group that tracks jihadist web postings.
Sotloff, 31, a freelance journalist, was kidnapped in Syria in August 2013.
Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, state department spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters that the U.S. government has not confirmed the authenticity of the video but said that the intelligence community was working as quickly as possible to confirm its contents.
Sotloff's alleged killing comes less than two weeks after journalist James Foley was killed by Islamic State (also known as ISIS) fighters--an action which was made public through the release of a similar video.
In the latest video, Mr. Sotloff describes himself as "paying the price" for the Obama administration's decision to strike ISIS targets in Iraq. The same masked fighter who appeared in the video of Mr. Foley's beheading also appears beside Mr. Sotloff, asserting, "I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State."
The SITE group also said ISIS was threatening a third captive, a Briton it identified as David Cawthorne Haines, as the next beheading victim.
At least two other Americans are believed to be held by ISIS.
Over the weekend, the U.S. military continued to conduct air strikes against the group in Iraq as part of an international "humanitarian" mission.
During the briefing, Psaki noted that the killing of Foley has "helped to motivate the creation of international coalition" to "address this threat." U.S. officials have pivoted on the atrocities committed by individuals claiming membership to ISIS to push for more military intervention in Iraq and Syria.
However, those opposed to a military response continue to remind the public that it was such U.S. intervention--including the 2003 invasion of Iraq that dramatically destabilized the region--that helped create the armed and brutal militia group in the first place.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy