European jihadis take lead roles in killing video
A young Frenchman and two young men from Wales and England are believed to be among the cold-eyed fighters on an Islamic State propaganda video showing a beheaded American aid worker and the deaths of more than a dozen Syrian soldiers, officials said Monday.
President Barack Obama confirmed the slaying of American aid worker Peter Kassig after a US review of the video, which also showed the mass beheadings of more than a dozen Syrian soldiers.
The overwhelming majority of Islamic State fighters are from the Mideast, but as the extremist group tries to cement its claim on an Islamic empire straddling Iraq and Syria, it is increasingly trying to portray itself as an international movement. Europe appears to be a fertile ground to find Islamic State supporters, with officials saying thousands of young Europeans have headed off to jihad.
