The Islamic State (IS) released a video of beheading American journalist Steven Joel Sotloff and threatening another captive, a Briton, David Cawthorne Haines.
The 2 minute, 46 second video was produced by the group’s al-Furqan Media Foundation, and was uploaded on a file-sharing website on September 2, 2014. In the video, Sotloff describes himself a “paying the price” for the U.S. intervention in Iraq with his life, and telling U.S. President Barack Obama: “You've spent billions of U.S. tax payers dollars and we've lost thousands of our troops in our previous fighting against the Islamic State, so where is the people's interest in reigniting this war?” The same masked fighter who appeared in the video with James Wright Foley stands with Sotloff and states:
“I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and [unclear] on Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings. You, Obama, have but to gain from your actions but another American citizen. So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people...
“We take this opportunity to warn those governments that enter this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone.”
The video is available here:
http://sitemultimedia.org/video/SITE_IS_Beheading_Sotloff.mp4
Following is a transcript of the video:
A Second Message to America
I am Steven Joel Sotloff. I'm sure you know exactly who I am by now and why I am appearing before you. And now this time for my message:
Obama, your foreign policy of intervention in Iraq was supposed to be for the preservation of American lives and interests, so why is it that I am paying the price of your interference with my life. Am I not an American citizen? You've spent billions of U.S. tax payers dollars and we've lost thousands of our troops in our previous fighting against the Islamic State, so where is the people's interest in reigniting this war?
Form what little I know about foreign policy, I remember a time you could not win an election without promising to bring our troops back home from Iraq and Afghanistan and to close down Guantanamo. Here you are now, Obama, nearing the end of your term, and having achieving none of the above, and deceivingly marching us the American people in the blazing fire.
[Executor]
I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and [unclear] on Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings. You, Obama, have but to gain from your actions but another American citizen. So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people...
We take this opportunity to warn those governments that enter this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone.
