WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (KUNA) -- US President Barack Obama confirmed in a speech Wednesday, "the entire world is appalled" by the brutal murder by ISIL of James Foley - an American journalist who was beheaded in a video released by the terrorist group yesterday.
Obama strongly condemned the incident as "an act of violence that shocks the conscious of the entire world."
The president noted that he also has since spoken to Foley's family to give condolences since the video surfaced. Foley's family has been vocal in hopes of his release since he was kidnapped in Syria late November, 2012.
"Let's be clear about ISIL; they have rampaged across cities and villages killing innocent, unarmed civilians in cowardly acts of violence," Obama stressed.
"ISIL speaks for no religion. Their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim, and no faith teaches people to massacre innocents. No just god would speak for what they," he said.
"From governments and peoples across the Middle East, there has to be a common effort to extract this cancer so that it does not spread -- One thing we can all agree on is that a group like ISIL has no place in the 21st century," Obama went on.
He described the terrorist group as "collapse of any definition of civilized behavior."
Shortly before Obama's speech, the National Security Council Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden said: "We have reached the judgment that this video is authentic. We will continue to provide updates as they are available." (end) ak.gb