IS Announces Execution of Chinese, Norwegian Hostages

In other images, they are wearing yellow jumpsuits and covered in blood. Photos are annotated with the words executed after they were abandoned by the unfaithful countries and organizations. The news, which it carried in its magazine, was accompanied by what appeared to be pictures of the dead men, with a banner reading “executed”.

IS posted on its website photos of the two victims, who in September were identified as Norwegian Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad and Chinese Fan Jinghui.

Fan’s listing described him as a “freelance consultant”.

According to the Guardian, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that they had no reason to doubt that ISIS had murdered one of its citizens held hostage in Syria. We will not pay ransom.

“Even though this is painful, we must never allow the terrorists to prevail”, Solberg said.

China on Thursday confirmed the death of a Chinese hostage Fan Jinghui who had been held by IS, saying the criminal must be brought to justice. Brende said the government was releasing the information in accordance with the family’s wishes. “The Chinese government said in September that it was taking emergency steps in response to reports one of its citizens had been kidnapped, but it didn’t elaborate”.

First, he said by officially declaring war on ISIS, Chinese officials fear that could draw further scrutiny from the group, and perhaps increase the chances of a Paris-style attack in China. The group’s online magazine, which is titled “Dabiq” after a town in Syria, contains articles, opinion pieces and other propaganda from the group.

China has repeatedly denounced Islamist terrorists and urged the world to step up coordination in combating Islamic State, though it has been reluctant to get involved on the ground in Syria and Iraq where the group largely operates. The latest issue celebrates the Paris attacks on its cover with the headline ‘Just Terror’. Recent airstrikes from the countries have targeted the northern Syrian city of Raqqa – the IS group’s de facto capital – and other positions.

The group did not specify when or where the two had been captured.

The Observatory said on Wednesday that more IS fighters are believed to have been killed in the strikes, but their bodies were so severely dismembered it wasn’t possible to give an estimated figure.