The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Islamic State posts video of Japanese journalist’s death

— A short video apparently depicting the decapitation of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto was released late Saturday by the Islamic State.

The executioner appeared to be the same British-accented jihadi shown murdering at least five other hostages in previous videos.

The video, which lasted about one minute, caps two weeks of drama over what was to become of Goto and another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa, and leaves in limbo the fate of a Jordanian fighter pilot, Moaz al Kasasbeh, whom the Islamic State captured in December and has threatened to kill.

The video made no mention of Kasasbeh, whom the Jordanians have offered to trade for Sajida al Rishawi, an Iraqi woman convicted in a 2005 bombing plot that killed at least 57 people in Amman, Jordan’s capital. The Islamic State has not responded to that offer publicly.

Officials in Japan released a brief statement saying that they were examining the video to verify its authenticity, although the video’s release through Internet channels associated with the Islamic State left little question of its origin.

The United States, a key ally of both Jordan and Japan and which has seen three of its own citizens beheaded by the group since August, also quickly released a statement.

“We have seen the video purporting to show that Japanese citizen Kenji Goto has been murdered by the terrorist group ISIL. We are working to confirm its authenticity. The United States strongly condemns ISIL’s actions and we call for the immediate release of all remaining hostages. We stand in solidarity with our ally Japan,” said National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan in the statement, which was emailed to reporters.

There was no comment from Jordanian officials. Kasasbeh’s brother’s cell phone appeared to have been turned off.

The video was titled “A message to the government of Japan” and showed the same black masked executioner as multiple previous videos. He spoke perfect English with an obviously British accent.

“Abe,” the killer said, referring to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, “because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this man will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin.”

The drama over Goto and Yukawa began Jan. 21, when the Islamic State released a recording of Goto, who said the Islamic State was demanding a $200 million ransom and had set a 72-hour deadline for payment. When that deadline passed, a second Goto recording released a week ago reported that Yukawa had been executed and that the demand had shifted to an exchange of Goto for Rishawi.

Then on Tuesday, a new recording for the first time threatened the life of Kasasbeh, the captured pilot, unless the Goto-Rishawi swap took place.

Jordan responded by offering to swap Rishawi for Kasasbeh in public statements Wednesday, but the Islamic State’s only public answer was to reiterate its Goto-for-Rishawi offer and to say that if the swap did not take place by sundown Thursday, Goto and Kasasbeh would be executed.

There was no word Saturday on the fate of Kasasbeh.

Japan’s constitution forbids overseas military intervention, but the country recently pledged tens of millions of dollars in aid to the governments of countries affected by the rise of the Islamic State, which controls large chunks of eastern Syria and northern and western Iraq.

The nearly four-year war in Syria and the fall of Mosul to the Islamic State in June have displaced millions of refugees in what humanitarian workers call the worst crisis to strike the region in the modern era.

 

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