Peter Kassig, US Aid worker from Indiana, was recently beheaded by Islamic State militants. They captured him while he was in Syria just last year.
It was actually US President Barack Obama who confirmed that Kassig has died in the hands of the aforementioned militants after the US Government agencies authenticated the video that was posted online. The clip showed a masked man standing over the decapitated head of the 26-year-old former US Army Ranger and medic.
Despite his Ranger-related contributions, Peter Kassig was well-known for his courageous devotion towards helping people whose lives have been upended by civil war.
The President said that Kassig "was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity." He also offered his condolences to Kassig's grieving family.
Earlier on Sunday, his family gathered to remember the Peter Kassig whom they have loved. His parents, Ed and Paul Kassig from Indianapolis, had even requested various news networks from distributing the video images of their dead son. They said that they wanted their "treasured son" to be remembered for his humanitarian work.
They said, "We are aware of the news reports being circulated about our treasured son and are waiting for confirmation from the Government as to the authenticity of these reports."
His parents referred to their son as Abdul-Rahman, which is the new name that he took upon completing his conversion to Islam. He was forced to convert when he was taken hostage by the militants.
According to his family, Peter Kassig was detained on October 1st of last year when he traveled to the area to volunteer for a relief project. He was riding an ambulance that was headed to Deir al-Zor, a small city to the eastern portion of Syria, when the hostage happened.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
