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| James Foley beheading video is authentic, US says | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The White House has confirmed that a jihadist video showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley is authentic. | |
| The Islamic State (IS) group released the video on Tuesday, saying Foley's killing was revenge for US air strikes on its fighters in Iraq. | |
| The US, UK and France have expressed abhorrence at the video. | |
| Foley's mother Diane said he "gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people." | Foley's mother Diane said he "gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people." |
| President Barack Obama is due to give a statement later. | |
| Foley, 40, has reported extensively across the Middle East, working for US publication GlobalPost and other media outlets including French news agency AFP. | Foley, 40, has reported extensively across the Middle East, working for US publication GlobalPost and other media outlets including French news agency AFP. |
| In a statement, GlobalPost asked for "prayers for Jim and his family". | |
| British accent | British accent |
| In the video, titled A Message to America, a man identified as James Foley is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, kneeling in desert-like terrain beside an armed man dressed in black. | In the video, titled A Message to America, a man identified as James Foley is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, kneeling in desert-like terrain beside an armed man dressed in black. |
| He gives a message to his family and links his imminent death to the US government's bombing campaign of IS targets in Iraq. | He gives a message to his family and links his imminent death to the US government's bombing campaign of IS targets in Iraq. |
| Clearly under duress, he says: "I call on my friends, family and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the US government, for what will happen to me is only a result of their complacency and criminality." | Clearly under duress, he says: "I call on my friends, family and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the US government, for what will happen to me is only a result of their complacency and criminality." |
| Then the masked militant, who speaks with a British accent, delivers a warning to the US government: "You are no longer fighting an insurgency. We are an Islamic army and a state that has been accepted by a large number of Muslims worldwide. | Then the masked militant, who speaks with a British accent, delivers a warning to the US government: "You are no longer fighting an insurgency. We are an Islamic army and a state that has been accepted by a large number of Muslims worldwide. |
| "So any attempt by you Obama to deny the Muslims their rights of living in safety under the Islamic caliphate will result in the bloodshed of your people." | "So any attempt by you Obama to deny the Muslims their rights of living in safety under the Islamic caliphate will result in the bloodshed of your people." |
| After he speaks, the militant appears to start cutting at his captive's neck before the video fades to black. | After he speaks, the militant appears to start cutting at his captive's neck before the video fades to black. |
| His body is then seen on the ground. | His body is then seen on the ground. |
| Another captive, identified as American journalist Steven Sotloff, is shown at the end, with the warning that his fate depends on President Barack Obama's next move. | Another captive, identified as American journalist Steven Sotloff, is shown at the end, with the warning that his fate depends on President Barack Obama's next move. |
| Mr Sotloff was abducted in northern Syria a year ago. | Mr Sotloff was abducted in northern Syria a year ago. |
| 'Cowardly assassination' | 'Cowardly assassination' |
| French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had earlier said that if James Foley's death was confirmed, "this cowardly assassination would show the true face of this caliphate of barbarism". | |
| UK Prime Minister David Cameron said "if true, the murder of James Foley is shocking and depraved." | UK Prime Minister David Cameron said "if true, the murder of James Foley is shocking and depraved." |
| Analysis: BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner | Analysis: BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner |
| Shocking as it is, the video of James Foley being beheaded by a masked jihadist is not without precedent. | Shocking as it is, the video of James Foley being beheaded by a masked jihadist is not without precedent. |
| In 2004 al-Qaeda's offshoot in Iraq, led by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the forerunners of Islamic State (IS), did the same thing to Nick Berg, a hapless American telecoms engineer who fell into their clutches. | In 2004 al-Qaeda's offshoot in Iraq, led by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the forerunners of Islamic State (IS), did the same thing to Nick Berg, a hapless American telecoms engineer who fell into their clutches. |
| The group went on to murder Briton Ken Bigley in the same way, after first getting him to plead on camera with the then Prime Minister Tony Blair to change Britain's course in Iraq. | The group went on to murder Briton Ken Bigley in the same way, after first getting him to plead on camera with the then Prime Minister Tony Blair to change Britain's course in Iraq. |
| These grisly murder videos are abhorrent to most Muslims and non-Muslims alike and they've even been discouraged by Osama Bin Ladin's successor as a "vote loser". | These grisly murder videos are abhorrent to most Muslims and non-Muslims alike and they've even been discouraged by Osama Bin Ladin's successor as a "vote loser". |
| But for the hard-core jihadists of IS they serve a number of purposes: to horrify and scare their enemies, to boost the morale of their own by showing the impotence of the West to prevent it, and thereby to embarrass the US and Britain, with the hope of making them temper their military actions in Iraq. | But for the hard-core jihadists of IS they serve a number of purposes: to horrify and scare their enemies, to boost the morale of their own by showing the impotence of the West to prevent it, and thereby to embarrass the US and Britain, with the hope of making them temper their military actions in Iraq. |
| PJ Crowley: Foley video intended for Muslim audience | PJ Crowley: Foley video intended for Muslim audience |
| Can online battle with extremists be won? | Can online battle with extremists be won? |
| Mark Doyle: The dangers journalists face in Syria | Mark Doyle: The dangers journalists face in Syria |
| Foley has spent many years reporting from the world's trouble spots. | Foley has spent many years reporting from the world's trouble spots. |
| He covered the war in Libya and was detained there for more than 40 days. | He covered the war in Libya and was detained there for more than 40 days. |
| "I'm drawn to the drama of the conflict and trying to expose untold stories," he told the BBC in 2012. | "I'm drawn to the drama of the conflict and trying to expose untold stories," he told the BBC in 2012. |
| "There's extreme violence, but there's a will to find who these people really are. And I think that's what's really inspiring about it." | "There's extreme violence, but there's a will to find who these people really are. And I think that's what's really inspiring about it." |
| Foley's mother Diane, writing on Facebook, urged the militants to free any other hostages. | Foley's mother Diane, writing on Facebook, urged the militants to free any other hostages. |
| "Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world," she wrote. | "Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world," she wrote. |
| The US launched air strikes almost a fortnight ago, in an attempt to help Kurdish forces curb the advance of Islamic State militants in northern Iraq and recapture the Mosul dam, the biggest in Iraq. | The US launched air strikes almost a fortnight ago, in an attempt to help Kurdish forces curb the advance of Islamic State militants in northern Iraq and recapture the Mosul dam, the biggest in Iraq. |
| IS has been accused of massacring hundreds of people in areas under its control in Iraq and also in eastern Syria. | IS has been accused of massacring hundreds of people in areas under its control in Iraq and also in eastern Syria. |
| President Obama has condemned IS militants as "a threat to all Iraqis and to the entire region". | President Obama has condemned IS militants as "a threat to all Iraqis and to the entire region". |
| Who are Islamic State (IS)? | Who are Islamic State (IS)? |
| Islamic State activities as of 14 August | Islamic State activities as of 14 August |
| Are you in Syria or the wider region? What is your reaction to this story? You can send us your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "James Foley". | Are you in Syria or the wider region? What is your reaction to this story? You can send us your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "James Foley". |