Posted on 08/22/2014 7:16:54 AM PDT by NKP_Vet
The brother of American journalist James Foley said Friday morning that the U.S. government could have done more to attempt to free his brother and other American hostages from the Islamic militant group ISIL.
“There’s more that could have been done directly on Jim’s behalf,” Michael Foley, 38, told Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric in an exclusive interview from his parents’ home in New Hampshire. “I really, really hope that Jim’s death pushes us to take anther look at our approach to terrorist and hostage negotiation.”
Foley, a 40-year-old journalist who was covering the Syrian conflict for GlobalPost, was kidnapped nearly two years ago near the Syria-Turkey border. ISIL, also called ISIS, released a grisly video of his beheading Tuesday, claiming they killed him in retaliation for U.S. air strikes in the region.
But another issue was money. The group had also captured French and Spanish journalists, but freed them after their governments paid ransoms through intermediaries. The U.S. government refused to negotiate or pay the group on behalf of Foley and other Americans captives. ISIL emailed Michael Foley and demanded 100 million euro—a sum he called “ridiculous”—for his brother’s release.
“I just feel strongly that more can be done moving forward,” Michael Foley said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
> Says the US (Obama) could have done more to get his
> brother released.
Don’t be fooled. He was thinking of giving ISIS the ransom they wanted, not vaporizing their useless carcasses.
I always am ambivalent when I read stories like this. Obama is incompetent and I sympathize with the family, but you are always going to get family members like this saying the government could have done more. Of course it could, but it may not be in America’s interest to bend over backward to get hostages released, especially ones who willingly went into these danger zones. If we get that reputation, more Americans will get kidnapped.
As a photojournalist. I feel for foley. I respect his desire to go “get the story.” But I would not expect the government to raise a finger to save me.
The rest of the world doesn’t care about the media. His life is worth no more or no less than anyone else who puts their lives in harms way.
Its also important for journalists and liberals to understand that they aren’t somehow “above it all” when they go to dangerous areas of the world.
The best response is to hit the terrorist kidnapper hard and wipe them out.
Paying ransom only encourages more kidnapping.
And though it may sound harsh to some,I have trouble sympathizing with the plight of people who DELIBERATELY put themselves in dangerous situations without the proper tools or places and expect other people to save them.
He’s right. The US government could have done more. Given that it controls the curricula in public schools and universities, it most certainly could have ensured that students be taught an accurate picture of radical Islam and the associated dangers thereof. I’m not holding my breath, though.
What about doing more to protect the innocent Christian children being massacred?
Foley surely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, voted Obama. 2008, and 2012. Guarantee it.
> I have trouble sympathizing with the plight of people who
> DELIBERATELY put themselves in dangerous situations
It was worse than that in this case.
Foley was pro-Islam, anti-Israel.
They played him as a useful idiot.
Not the government’s job. Maybe the family could have done an ice bucket challenge. (Nothing against ALS patients or research for a cure) Obama made it very clear when he released five terrorist killers in exchange for Bergdahl—he did that because Bergdahl was “in uniform.” Regardless, negotiating with terrorists invites more kidnappings. Viral social media nonsense invites dangerous ideas from terrorists.
The Obama administration did the exact opposite.
Sorry for your loss Mike but you're thinking about the OLD, pre-fundamentally transformed America.
Gee, Obama was late five minutes for his Tee Time as it was. What do you peasants expect, Ronald Reagan?/S
The soundest advice: NEVER negotiate with terrorists.
That should be King PUTZ!
Was it America's interest to release five top ranking members of the Taliban to get back someone who "willingly" walked off his base and joined the enemy? We have been negotiating with terrorists. It is the reason why the terrorists keep demanding more ransoms and other quid pro quos.
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