Islamic State releases new video of British hostage as US coalition takes shape
US president praises Congress for swift action in backing his plans to combat Islamists as France promises air strikes and a new hostage video emerges from the jihadists
US President Barack Obama on Thursday hailed Congress for backing his plan to arm moderate Syrian rebels and France for signing off on air strikes in Iraq, victories for his campaign to destroy the Islamic State.
US warplanes meanwhile hit an Islamic State (IS) training camp in Iraq in their first strike not directly supporting Iraqi or Kurdish forces as Washington increased pressure on the Sunni extremist group.
Hitting back in the propaganda war, the jihadists posted their latest video of a Western hostage, British journalist John Cantlie.
“I want to thank leaders in Congress for the speed and seriousness with which they approached this urgent issue.”
Unlike previous grisly postings of two American journalists and a British aid worker being beheaded, Cantlie was only shown speaking to camera in the style of a news report.
In a rare moment of bipartisanship in divided Washington, the Senate voted 78 to 22 to endorse Obama’s plan, already passed by the House of Representatives, to arm rebels to take on IS in conjunction with air strikes the president has pledged to carry out inside Syria.
Minutes after the vote, Obama appeared on television, keen to claim a swift victory for his strategy, as polls show Americans support striking IS but are not sure that it will work.
“I want to thank leaders in Congress for the speed and seriousness with which they approached this urgent issue,” said Obama.
