Islamic terrorists claim they have beheaded American hostage Peter Kassig, a former Army Ranger who became an aid worker on the Syrian border.
A graphic, 16-minute video depicts a terrorist, dressed entirely in black with his face concealed, standing in front of a severed head, but the authenticity of the video has yet to be verified.
The White House on Sunday issued a statement condemning killing. “If confirmed, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American aid worker and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said.
If verified, Kassig’s beheading would be the fifth such act by Islamic terrorists, who have used the gruesome videos as propaganda against the west.
The United States and allies have been conducting a bombing campaign in the region in an effort to stop the spread of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
Kassig, a native of Indiana, was captured a year ago.
In the beheading video, the terrorists identify the location as Dabiq, Syria.
Kassig’s family has issued a statement, on their son’s Facebook page, about reports of his death:
The family respectfully asks that the news media avoid playing into the hostage takers’ hands and refrain from publishing or broadcasting photographs or video distributed by the hostage takers. We prefer our son is written about and remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family, not in the manner the hostage takers would use to manipulate Americans and further their cause.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
