President Barack Obama on Saturday denounced the “barbaric” beheading of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
In a White House statement, the president condemned the video, released Saturday, which reportedly shows Goto’s death at the hands of an ISIL militant, as “heinous.”
The latest video comes a week after ISIL released a video that graphically depicted the beheading of another Japanese citizen, Haruna Yukawa. Several days prior to that video’s release, the extremist group released a video with both Yukawa and Goto in which ISIL demanded a $200 million ransom from the Japanese government within 72 hours for the safe release of both captives.
Obama said in the statement that through his coverage of the conflict in the Middle East, Goto “courageously sought to convey the plight of the Syrian people to the outside world.”
The president also said the U.S. would stand in solidarity with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Japan, which has a “steadfast commitment to advancing peace and prosperity in the Middle East and globally, including its generous assistance for innocent people affected by the conflicts in the region.”
“Standing together with a broad coalition of allies and partners, the United States will continue taking decisive action to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL,” Obama said.
Secretary of State John Kerry released a statement, saying “we share the sorrow and continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our ally Japan in confronting terrorism.”
In a statement, the outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that “like many of his journalist colleagues, Mr. Goto went to dangerous places to tell stories that needed to be told. His murder … reminds the world of the threat we confront in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.”
Abe spoke with reporters after an emergency cabinet meeting, the Associated Press reported. The prime minister said he felt “indignation over this immoral and heinous act of terrorism” and that “when I think of the grief of his family, I am left speechless.”
Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/01/barack-obama-kenji-goto-isil-114794.html#ixzz3QWOo5q1I
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