White House Confirms American Aid Worker Killed by ISIS

On Sunday, November 16, the White House confirmed the death of Abdul-Rahman (Peter) Kassig, an American aid worker, at the hands of the Islamic State. The group previously released a 16-minute video on social media showing the beheading of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, along with scenes of the beheading of several others, reportedly Syrian soldiers. Barack Obama, the President of the United States, expressed condolences to Abdul-Rahman Kassig's family in a statement made while returning to Washington from the G20 summit in Australia. Peter Kassig had converted to Islam a year before his capture and had chosen the name Abdul-Rahman for himself. In the video available online, ISIS members are seen lining up Syrian soldiers dressed in black and systematically beheading them with multiple knives present at the scene. Several ISIS members participated in this mass beheading, each seen cutting off the head of one of the men. The released images of the killers indicate they are from various parts of the world, with one resembling Southeast Asian Muslims, such as members of Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines. This event reportedly took place around Aleppo. The beheading of this American aid worker and the Syrian soldiers occurs while the 'Mail on Sunday' reported that 'John,' known as 'Jihadi John,' a British citizen who had previously beheaded American journalists, was injured in a recent airstrike targeting ISIS leaders in a city in Iraq. About a month ago, ISIS released a video showing the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning, warning that Peter Kassig would also be killed.