ISIS再次斩首美国人质

A black-masked executioner belonging to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant appears to murder an American aid worker in a video that surfaced on Sunday, despite pleas for his release by Muslim scholars and a leader of another Syrian jihadi group.

A man appearing to be Peter Kassig, a 26-year-old aid worker and former US soldier, is shown on the video kneeling in an orange jumpsuit as a black-clad warrior for the group, also known as Isis, stood beside him. Minutes later, a severed head described as Mr Kassig’s is shown resting on the ground in an area described as northern Syria.

在周日出现的一段视频中，一名戴着黑色面具的“伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯兰国”(ISIS)行刑人员似乎杀害了一名美国救助人员——尽管此前曾有穆斯林学者和一名其他叙利亚圣战组织的首脑请求释放这名救助人员。
视频中遇害的似乎是现年26岁的救助人员彼得•卡西格(Peter Kassig)，他曾经是一位美军士兵。在视频中，他身着橙色连身衣跪在地上，身旁站着一名身穿黑衣的ISIS士兵。几分钟后，据称是卡西格的头颅被放在了地上，视频中称这一事件发生在叙利亚北部地区。

US officials verified the authenticity of the video, making Mr Kassig the fifth western hostage executed by Isis.
“This is Peter Edward Kassig, a US citizen of your country,” says the Isis member, speaking English with a British accent. “Peter, who fought the Muslims in Iraq while serving as soldier in the American army, doesn’t have much to say. His previous cellmates have already spoken on his behalf.”
Muslim clergy and even a leader of the rival jihadi group Jabhat al-Nusra had pleaded for mercy for Mr Kassig, who had converted to Islam during his 13-month captivity and renamed himself Abdul-Rahman.
“Abdul-Rahman was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity,” said US President Barack Obama.
David Cameron, UK prime minister, condemned the purported killing and offered condolences to Mr Kassig’s family. “These beheadings show once again what a depraved organisation this is,” he said in a statement.

美国官方确认了视频的真实性，卡西格成为第5名被ISIS处死的西方人质。
视频中，那名ISIS成员操着英国口音说：“这就是彼得•爱德华•卡西格，一名来自你们美国的公民。彼得曾作为美国陆军士兵，与伊拉克的穆斯林对抗。他现在没什么要说的，要说的话已经由之前的狱友说了。”
此前曾有穆斯林神职人员为卡西格求情，为他求情的甚至还包括敌对的伊斯兰圣战组织Jabhat al-Nusra的一名领导人。在被关押的13个月内，卡西格已经皈依伊斯兰教，并将自己改名为阿卜杜勒-拉赫曼(Abdul-Rahman)。
美国总统巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)表示：“阿卜杜勒-拉赫曼被一个恐怖组织以纯粹的罪恶行径从我们中夺走了。世界对该组织‘残暴’的形容是恰如其分的。”
The alleged execution of Mr Kassig is shown at the end of a bloody 16-minute propaganda video that includes the beheading by knife of 16 men described as Syrian regime soldiers and pilots.
The video release comes amid a flood of high-profile media announcements by the jihadi group, including a rare statement Thursday by the group’s leader and the announcement it would launch a new currency.

英国首相戴维•卡梅伦(David Cameron)谴责了这一传闻中的杀人行径，并向卡西格的家人表示慰问。他在声明中表示：“这些斩首行为再次表明了该组织的邪恶本质。”
对卡西格的涉嫌斩首行为是在一段长达16分钟的血腥宣传视频末尾出现的，该视频中还播出了对16名据称是叙利亚政府军士兵和飞行员的斩首行为。
The media offensive is concurrent with Isis battlefield losses and stalemates in both Syria and Iraq. After making inroads in large parts of Iraq and Syria, Isis has been stymied in its efforts to take control of the Syrian city of Kobani. The jihadi group has also suffered setbacks in Iraq at the town of Jorf al Sakher, in the south of Baghdad, and in the northwestern oil refinery city of Baiji, where Iraqi troops backed by Shia militiamen and US-led warplanes have gained ground in recent days.
Chairman of the US joint chiefs, Gen Martin Dempsey, arrived in Baghdad on Saturday in an unannounced visit meant to shore up Washington’s support for Iraqi forces. These are at the frontline of efforts to halt and reverse Isis advances that begin with their June 10 seizure of the country’s second-largest city, Mosul. In addition to daily air strikes, US President Barack Obama has authorised some 3,000 troops to deploy in Iraq to train and advise Iraqi forces.
卡西格曾于2007年作为美军士兵在伊拉克服役，并在2012年重返中东。他在多家医院作为志愿者从事医疗救助方面的工作，帮助那些在叙利亚受伤的人们，并建立了自己的慈善组织——“应急响应与援助特别组织(Special Emergency Response and Assistance)”。2013年10月1日，他在去叙利亚城市Dair Azzour的途中被一个圣战组织扣押。
卡西格的父母艾德(Ed)和葆拉(Paula)在社交媒体上发表了一份声明，请求媒体不要发布有关这一涉嫌杀人行径的视频或照片。声明表示：“我们宁愿人们用文字描述我们的儿子，并缅怀他的重要工作和与亲友间的深厚感情，而不是重复那种扣押人质者试图用来操纵美国人并推进其事业的方式。”