ISIS executions heighten fears for Western hostages
September 3, 2014 -- Updated 1600 GMT (0000 HKT)
And, as with the
execution of journalist James Foley before him, ISIS ended its video --
titled "A second message to America" -- with a threat to another Western
hostage, this time a Briton.
The three are not the
only Westerners held by the militant group. And their plight has raised
fears for the safety of all those taken hostage.
Thousands of Syrians and
Iraqis have been slain by ISIS militants as the Sunni extremist group
seeks to build an Islamic caliphate stretching across a swath of
territory.
But the execution of
Western captives holds greater shock value outside the region's borders
-- and represents a powerful propaganda tool.
CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said that the method of killing has a specific purpose for ISIS.
A video like the one
showing Sotloff's killing "really energizes" supporters of ISIS, and
beheading is employed for "maximum propaganda" to "terrify" ISIS'
enemies, Cruickshank said.
Alternatively, Western
hostages, often journalists or aid workers, can be a useful tool if kept
alive: either freed for hefty ransoms, used as bargaining chips for the
militants' ends or sold on to other extremist groups.
It's hard to know how
many captives there are because governments, employers and families tend
to keep kidnappings quiet for fear of putting the victims in greater
danger while negotiators work to secure their release.
ISIS is believed to be
holding a number of Americans, a U.S. official told CNN after Foley's
execution. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined
to identify them or say exactly how many Americans are being held.
,
Missing journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists
estimates that about 20 journalists are missing in Syria -- most of
them local, some from outside Syria. It says many of them are believed
to be held by ISIS.
Among them is American Austin Tice, a freelance journalist who was contributing articles to The Washington Post. He disappeared in Syria in August 2012. There has been no word of or from him since his abduction.
Altogether, more than 80 journalists have been abducted in Syria since the conflict started, according to the CPJ.
Some have been freed,
others killed. Often a media blackout on journalists' abductions is
lifted only in best- and worst-case scenarios.
The kidnapping of American journalist Peter Theo Curtis
was publicized only after he was handed over to U.N. peacekeepers in
August by al-Nusra Front, a Syrian rebel group with al Qaeda ties, after
almost two years in captivity. Qatari officials helped secure his
release, his family said.
It emerged after Foley's
death that U.S. special operations units were sent into Syria this
summer to rescue him and other hostages, but their mission proved unsuccessful.
Richard Byrne, a
spokesman for the news website GlobalPost, also revealed that ISIS had
demanded a ransom of 100 million euros (about $132 million) for Foley's
release. The journalist freelanced for GlobalPost and other news organizations.
After his death, Foley's mother, Diane, expressed concern about other hostages on the Free James Foley Facebook page.
"We implore the
kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they
are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in
Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world," she wrote.
Sotloff's mother,
Shirley Sotloff, also had directed an emotional plea for her son's
release to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to no avail.
.
To pay or not to pay?
Fears for the safety of
Westerners held by Islamist militants have also highlighted the
different approaches taken by governments when it comes to kidnappings.
The UK government has a
hard-line policy of never paying ransoms. The U.S. government also does
not negotiate with terrorists. At the same time, other European
governments in the past are thought to have handed over cash to terror
groups to ensure the release of nationals.
.
The United States, as in the case with the thwarted Foley mission, has in the past attempted hostage rescues.
Sometimes these can work
out, as happened in 2012 when Navy SEALs rescued U.S. aid worker
Jessica Buchanan and fellow aid worker Poul Thisted of Denmark after
three months' captivity in Somalia. They had been abducted while
traveling there for the Danish Refugee Council.
.
But sometimes, such
attempts fail. Linda Norgrove, a kidnapped British aid worker, was
accidentally killed by a U.S. grenade during a SEAL rescue bid in
Afghanistan in 2010.
The UK government said it had attempted to rescue the British citizen shown in the latest ISIS video "some time ago" but failed.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond provided scant details of the rescue attempt or any other plans in the works.
"You wouldn't expect me
to discuss various options that we will be considering," he said. "But I
can assure you that we will look at every possible option to protect
this person."
Tortured, beaten in captivity
While negotiations for
potential releases continue, little or nothing is made public about the
hostages' background or their plight.
Out of public view,
Sotloff's family members, their congressional representative and a
number of government agencies had tried to gain his release for the past
year.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry highlighted the efforts made behind the scenes in a statement Wednesday.
"For so many who worked
so long to bring Steven and the other Americans home safely, this was
not how the story should've ended," he said.
"It's a punch to the
gut. The U.S. government has used every military, diplomatic and
intelligence tool we have, and we always will. Our special operations
forces bravely risked a military operation to save these lives, and
we've reached out diplomatically to everyone and anyone who might be
able to help. That effort continues, and our prayers remain -- as they
always are -- with the families of all hostages who remain trapped in
Syria today."
.
Beaten, tortured
After Foley's death,
details slowly emerged of the experiences he endured after his abduction
while he was on a reporting trip in northern Syria in November 2012.
A source who says he was
held last year with Foley told CNN's Bharati Naik that he, Foley and
another journalist were held from March to August 2013 in a prison in
Aleppo, Syria.
.
At the time, the source
-- who spoke on condition of anonymity -- said they were being held by
al-Nusra Front. At one point, according to the source, there were nearly
100 people -- including European journalists -- in the prison.
.
The source said Foley
and the other journalist, who was not Sotloff, were transferred to an
ISIS training camp. Foley and the other journalist, according to the
source, were tortured in prison -- mostly beaten.
.
French journalist
Nicolas Henin, who was taken hostage in June 2013 with French
photographer Pierre Torres, told CNN that he also had been held with
Foley in northern Syria before his release this year -- and that Foley
"had to endure more because he was American."
.
Henin and Torres were
freed along with two other French journalists, Didier François and
Edouard Elias, on April 19. It's not known what went on behind the
scenes to secure their freedom, but French Foreign Minister Laurent
Fabius insisted that France had not paid a ransom, Radio France Internationale reported at the time.
Other Westerners held in Syria also have been released in recent months.
.
Two Spanish journalists
held for more than six months in Syria -- El Mundo staff correspondent
Javier Espinosa and freelance photographer Ricardo Garcia Vilanova --
were freed in March. At the time of their capture, El Mundo said the
journalists' captors were reported to be members of a group linked to
ISIS.
.
And a Danish
photographer, Daniel Rye Ottosen, was freed in June, the Danish Foreign
Ministry said, having been held captive in Syria since May 2013.
ISIS puts pressure on Obama to act
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