The United States will not, in any way, be intimidated by the Islamic State, President Barack Obama said on Wednesday following the execution of Steven Sotloff, the second American journalist killed by militants within a span of two weeks.
Instead, the United States will build a coalition to “degrade and destroy” Islamic State, that has declared a “caliphate” in northern parts of Iraq and Syria–forcing non-Muslims to convert and executing those who refuse, imposing harsh interpretations of the Shariah law.
Sotloff, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, was killed in a similar way as James Foley, the first American journalist killed by militants last August: he was also beheaded and the video of his murder was uploaded online. He first appeared at the end of Foley’s execution video, where ISIS warned of his killing if the U.S. did not stop bombing their territories.
But since Foley’s execution, the United States instead ramped up its operations in Iraq against ISIS.
Despite the serious threat that ISIS poses to the world, Obama has not yet set a time frame for deciding on a strategy against ISIS’ operation in Syria.
“It’s going to take time for us to be able to roll them back,” Obama said at a news conference during a visit to Europe, the Associated Press reported.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Pres. Barack Obama”]
We will not be intimidated. Their horrific acts only unite us as a country and stiffen our resolve to take the fight against these terrorists. And those who make the mistake of harming Americans will learn that we will not forget, and that our reach is long and that justice will be served,
[/quote]
Obama’s remarks came after U.S. authorities verified the authenticity of Sotloff’s execution video.
