Reuters
［ドバイ ２日 ロイター］ - イスラム教スンニ派の過激派組織「イスラム国」は２日、米国人ジャーナリストと称する人物を殺害する映像を公表した。殺害されたのは、２０１３年８月にシリアで拘束された米国人ジャーナリスト、スティーブン・ソトロフ氏（３１）とされる。
イスラム国の「米国人記者殺害」映像公開は、ジェームズ・フォーリー氏に続き２人目。米政府は映像の信ぴょう性を確認中としている。
映像では、フォーリー氏殺害と同様、砂漠でオレンジ色の服を着たソトロフ氏とされる男性と覆面をした人物が映し出されている。覆面をした人物は、英国アクセントの英語で、「オバマよ、わたしは戻ってきた。なぜなら、米国がイスラム国に対する傲慢な外交政策をとり、われわれの真剣な警告にかかわらずモスルダムなどへの攻撃を続けているからだ。米国がわれわれへのミサイル攻撃を継続すれば、われわれのナイフも米国人の首を切り続けることになる」と述べた。英国人の人質についても脅迫し、各国に「イスラム国に対抗する米という悪の連合」に参加しないよう警告した。
米国家安全保障会議（ＮＳＣ）の報道官は声明で、情報機関が映像を分析中としたうえで「事実とすれば、罪のない米国人ジャーナリストを残虐に殺害したとして愕然とするとともに、ソトロフ氏の家族と友人に深い哀悼を示す」と表明し、新たな情報が得られれば発表するとした。
関連記事
避難するイラクのクルド人
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(01 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ahmet Izgi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Yezidis trapped in the Sinjar mountains are rescued(02 of61)
MOSUL, IRAQ - AUGUST 9: Thousands of Yezidis trapped in the Sinjar mountains as they tried to escape from Islamic State (IS) forces, are rescued by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Peoples Protection Unit (YPG) in Mosul, Iraq on August 09, 2014. (Photo by Emrah Yorulmaz/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqi Yezidis take shelter in Turkey(03 of61)
SIRNAK, TURKEY - AUGUST 13: Iraqi Yezidi kids escaping from attacks of Islamic State, cheer up with candies in Sirnak city of Turkey on August 13, 2014. Iraqi Yezidi people fled Sinjar town of Mosul to Silopi district of Turkey\'s Sirnak city due to the attacks of Islamic State-led armed groups. Refugees fleeing attacks from Islamic State fighters, formerly known as ISIL, crossed the Habur border post on Turkish-Iraqi border and are placed houses and tents 3 kilometers away from Silopi district of Sirnak, Turkey. (Photo by Huseyin Bagis/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter at Arbil's Bahirka Camp(04 of61)
ARBIL, IRAQ - AUGUST 15: Iraqis including Turkmens, Shabaks, Kurds, Yezidis and Christians, fleeing from assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), take shelter at Bahirka refugee camp which was set up for Syrian refugees in Arbil, Iraq on August 15, 2014. (Photo by Ahmet Izgi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(05 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ensar Ozdemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(06 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ensar Ozdemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(07 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ensar Ozdemir/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(08 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ahmet Izgi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(09 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ahmet Izgi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(10 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ahmet Izgi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(11 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ahmet Izgi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqis fleeing from IS assaults take shelter in Iraq's Dohuk city(12 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 16: Yezidis who fled their home due to the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, take shelter in the buildings under construction in Zakho district, a few kilometers from the Iraqi-Turkish border, Dohuk on August 16, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province last week after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Ahmet Izgi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqi Yezidis flee to surrounding mountains across the border into Turkey(13 of61)
SIRNAK, TURKEY - AUGUST 19: Some of the many thousands of Yezidis, who started to flee from Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq and Zakho city to the surrounding mountains across the border into Turkey to escape the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, have arrived in Turkey\'s Uludere village in the southeastern Sirnak province on August 19, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Huseyin Bagis/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqi Yezidis flee to surrounding mountains across the border into Turkey(14 of61)
SIRNAK, TURKEY - AUGUST 19: Some of the many thousands of Yezidis, who started to flee from Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq and Zakho city to the surrounding mountains across the border into Turkey to escape the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, have arrived in Turkey\'s Uludere village in the southeastern Sirnak province on August 19, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Huseyin Bagis/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Iraqi Yezidis flee to surrounding mountains across the border into Turkey(15 of61)
SIRNAK, TURKEY - AUGUST 19: Some of the many thousands of Yezidis, who started to flee from Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq and Zakho city to the surrounding mountains across the border into Turkey to escape the assaults of army groups led by Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIL, have arrived in Turkey\'s Uludere village in the southeastern Sirnak province on August 19, 2014. Islamic State fighters captured Iraq\'s Sinjar and Rabia in the Nineveh province after fierce clashes, forcing thousands of Iraqis including Turkmen, Arabs and Yezidis to flee. (Photo by Huseyin Bagis/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Humanitarian aid for Iraqi Yazidis by Turkey(16 of61)
DOHUK, IRAQ - AUGUST 20: Iraqi Yazidis gather to take humanitarian aid that Governorship of Sirnak, a city of Turkey on Iraq-Turkey border, sent with an articulated lorry in Dohuk, Iraq on 20 August, 2014. (Photo by Cafer Balik/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) (credit:Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
IRAQ-SYRIA-UNREST-YAZIDI-DISPLACED(17 of61)
Peshmerga forces hand out water bottles to displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community as they cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 11, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State (IS) fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-RELIEF(18 of61)
A young displaced Iraqi Yazidi, who fled a jihadist onslaught on Sinjar, sits looking on after taking refuge at the Bajid Kandala camp in Kurdistan\'s western Dohuk province, on August 13, 2014. Time is running out for starving Yazidis trapped on an Iraqi mountain as the West ramp up efforts to assist survivors and arm Kurdish forces battling jihadists. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(19 of61)
A displaced Iraqi father from the Yazidi community carries his barefoot daughter after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-KURDS(20 of61)
An Iraqi Yazidi child, whose family fled their home a week ago when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked the town of Sinjar, looks on at a makeshift shelter on August 10, 2014 in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region. \'The Kurdish peshmerga forces have succeeded in making 30,000 Yazidis who fled Mount Sinjar, most of them women and children, cross into Syria and return to Kurdistan,\' said Shawkat Barbahari, a Kurdhish official who is in charge of the Fishkhabur crossing with Syria. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(21 of61)
A displaced Iraqi child from the Yazidi community hold a juice after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(22 of61)
A displaced Iraqi child from the Yazidi community uses a piece of cardboard for protection from the sun after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(23 of61)
A displaced Iraqi mother from the Yazidi community carries her baby after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(24 of61)
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing to safety, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(25 of61)
Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross the Syrian-Iraqi border along the Fishkhabur bridge over the Tigris River at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(26 of61)
Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross the Syrian-Iraqi border along the Fishkhabur bridge over the Tigris River at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(27 of61)
A displaced Iraqi child from the Yazidi community rests after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(28 of61)
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(29 of61)
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(30 of61)
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(31 of61)
Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community cross the Syrian-Iraqi border along the Fishkhabur bridge over the Tigris River at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(32 of61)
A displaced Iraqi from the Yazidi community rests after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(33 of61)
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community rest after crossing the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(34 of61)
A displaced Iraqi mother from the Yazidi community carries her baby to safety as after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(35 of61)
Displaced Iraqis from the Yazidi community rest after crossing the Syrian-Iraqi border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(36 of61)
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-RELIEF-DEMO(37 of61)
Cars drive past burning tires after displaced Iraqi Yazidis, who fled a jihadist onslaught on Sinjar, demonstrated demanding more aid at the Bajid Kandala camp in Kurdistan\'s western Dohuk province, on August 13, 2014. Time was running out for starving Yazidis trapped on an Iraqi mountain as the West ramped up efforts to assist survivors and arm Kurdish forces battling jihadists. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(38 of61)
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community rest after crossing the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDI(39 of61)
An Iraqi woman from the Yazidi community isits near her baby in a building under construction used as shelter after their fled their hometown of Sinjar which was attacked by Sunni militants from the Islamic state (IS), on August 12, 2014 in Dohuk, the Kurdish region of autonomous Kurdistan in Iraq. Thousands of members of the Yazidi minority are trapped on the mountain in northwestern Iraq with little food or water by jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group who overran the region. The UN refuge agency put the number of people on the mountain at 20,000-30,000, while UN minority rights expert Rita Izsak warned they face \'a mass atrocity and potential genocide within days or hours.\' AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-SYRIA-UNREST-YAZIDI-DISPLACED(40 of61)
Peshmerga forces hand out water bottles and show the way to displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community as they cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 11, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-SYRIA-UNREST-YAZIDI-DISPLACED(41 of61)
Peshmerga forces hand out water bottles to displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community as they cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 11, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-SYRIA-UNREST-YAZIDI-DISPLACED(42 of61)
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 11, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDI(43 of61)
An Iraqi woman from the Yazidi community prepares dinner for her children in a building under construction used as shelter after their fled their hometown of Sinjar which was attacked by Sunni militants from the Islamic state (IS), on August 12, 2014 in Dohuk, the Kurdish region of autonomous Kurdistan in Iraq. Thousands of members of the Yazidi minority are trapped on the mountain in northwestern Iraq with little food or water by jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group who overran the region. The UN refuge agency put the number of people on the mountain at 20,000-30,000, while UN minority rights expert Rita Izsak warned they face \'a mass atrocity and potential genocide within days or hours.\' AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-SYRIA-UNREST-YAZIDI-DISPLACED(44 of61)
Peshmerga forces hand out water bottles to displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community as they cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 11, 2014. At least 20,000 civilians, most of whom are from the Yazidi community, who had been besieged by jihadists on a mountain in northern Iraq have safely escaped to Syria and been escorted by Kurdish forces back into Iraq, officials said. The breakthrough coincided with US air raids on Islamic State fighters in the Sinjar area of northwestern Iraq on August 9, and Kurdish forces from Iraq, Syria and Turkey working together to break the siege of Mount Sinjar and rescue the displaced. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-KURDS(45 of61)
An Iraqi Yazidi fighter stands guard outside a shrine on August 10, 2014 in Sheikhan, northeast of the city of Mosul in northern Iraq and near the Kurdish city of Dohuk where Yazidis found refuge. Thousands of Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking minority following an ancient faith rooted in Zoroastrianism, fled their homes a week ago when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked the town of Sinjar. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-KURDS(46 of61)
A picture taken on August 10, 2014 shows Yazidi Iraqi fighters walking past the grave of a child who died of malnutrition at a cemetery in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region, where Yazidi families took refuge after they fled the Mount Sinjar area. Thousands of Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking minority following an ancient faith rooted in Zoroastrianism, fled their homes a week ago when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked the town of Sinjar. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-KURDS(47 of61)
Iraqi Yazidis, who fled their homes a week ago when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked the town of Sinjar, gather at a makeshift shelter on August 10, 2014 in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region. \'The Kurdish peshmerga forces have succeeded in making 30,000 Yazidis who fled Mount Sinjar, most of them women and children, cross into Syria and return to Kurdistan,\' said Shawkat Barbahari, a Kurdhish official who is in charge of the Fishkhabur crossing with Syria. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-KURDS(48 of61)
A child sleeps as Iraqi Yazidis, who fled their homes a week ago when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked the town of Sinjar, sit in a building where they found refuge on August 10, 2014 in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region. \'The Kurdish peshmerga forces have succeeded in making 30,000 Yazidis who fled Mount Sinjar, most of them women and children, cross into Syria and return to Kurdistan,\' said Shawkat Barbahari, a Kurdhish official who is in charge of the Fishkhabur crossing with Syria. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-KURDS(49 of61)
Iraqi Yazidis, who fled their homes a week ago when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked the town of Sinjar, gather inside a building under construction where they found refuge on August 10, 2014 in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region. \'The Kurdish peshmerga forces have succeeded in making 30,000 Yazidis who fled Mount Sinjar, most of them women and children, cross into Syria and return to Kurdistan,\' said Shawkat Barbahari, a Kurdhish official who is in charge of the Fishkhabur crossing with Syria. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS-KURDS(50 of61)
Iraqi Yazidis, who fled their homes a week ago when Islamic State (IS) militants attacked the town of Sinjar, gather inside a building under construction where they found refuge on August 10, 2014 in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region. \'The Kurdish peshmerga forces have succeeded in making 30,000 Yazidis who fled Mount Sinjar, most of them women and children, cross into Syria and return to Kurdistan,\' said Shawkat Barbahari, a Kurdhish official who is in charge of the Fishkhabur crossing with Syria. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(51 of61)
Iraqi Yazidi women who fled the violence in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, sit at a school where they are taking shelter in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region, on August 5, 2014. Islamic State (IS) Sunni jihadists ousted the Peshmerga troops of Iraq\'s Kurdish government from the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, forcing thousands of people from their homes. The Yazidis, are a small community that follows a 4,000-year-old faith and have been repeatedly targeted by jihadists who call them \'devil-worshipers\' because of their unique beliefs and practices. AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:SAFIN HAMED via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(52 of61)
An Iraqi Yazidi family that fled the violence in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, sit at at a school where they are taking shelter in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region, on August 5, 2014. Islamic State (IS) Sunni jihadists ousted the Peshmerga troops of Iraq\'s Kurdish government from the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, forcing thousands of people from their homes. The Yazidis, are a small community that follows a 4,000-year-old faith and have been repeatedly targeted by jihadists who call them \'devil-worshipers\' because of their unique beliefs and practices. AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:SAFIN HAMED via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(53 of61)
Iraqi Yazidis who fled the violence in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, wait at a school where they are taking shelter in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region, on August 5, 2014. Islamic State (IS) Sunni jihadists ousted the Peshmerga troops of Iraq\'s Kurdish government from the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, forcing thousands of people from their homes. The Yazidis, are a small community that follows a 4,000-year-old faith and have been repeatedly targeted by jihadists who call them \'devil-worshipers\' because of their unique beliefs and practices. AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:SAFIN HAMED via Getty Images)
IRAQ-UNREST-YAZIDIS(54 of61)
An Iraqi Yazidi girl who fled with her family the violence in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, stands at at a school where they are taking shelter in the Kurdish city of Dohuk in Iraq\'s autonomous Kurdistan region, on August 5, 2014. Islamic State (IS) Sunni jihadists ousted the Peshmerga troops of Iraq\'s Kurdish government from the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar, forcing thousands of people from their homes. The Yazidis, are a small community that follows a 4,000-year-old faith and have been repeatedly targeted by jihadists who call them \'devil-worshipers\' because of their unique beliefs and practices. AFP PHOTO/SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:SAFIN HAMED via Getty Images)
IRAQ-CONFLICT(55 of61)
An Iraqi Turkman Shiite child displaced from the northern Iraqi area of Tal Afar takes shelter in a school in Sadr City, one of Baghdad\'s northern Shiite-majority districts, on August 5, 2014 after fleeing fighting between the Islamic State (IS) militants and Kurdish forces in both Tal Afar and later in Sinjar. Baghdad\'s air force and Kurdish fighters from Syria joined forces with Iraq\'s embattled peshmerga to push back jihadists whose latest attacks sent thousands of civilians running for their lives. AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:AHMAD AL-RUBAYE via Getty Images)
Doctors treat Iraqi boys lying on a hosp(56 of61)
SINJAR, Iraq: Doctors treat Iraqi boys lying on a hospital bed in the town of Sinjar 08 July 2006 after being wounded in a car bomb attack agaisnt a Shiite mosque in the Iraqi town of Tal-al-Banat the day before. At least seven people were killed and 46 wounded in a car bombing at a mosque in northwestern Iraq in the village of Tal al-Banat near the town of Sinjar, west of the main northern city of Mosul. AFP PHOTO/MUJAHED MOHAMMED ... (Photo credit should read MUJAHED MOHAMMED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:MUJAHED MOHAMMED via Getty Images)
A man walks in the rubble of a mosque in(57 of61)
TAL-AL-BANAT, Iraq: A man walks in the rubble of a mosque in the Iraqi town of Tal-al-Banat late 07 July 2006. At least seven people were killed and 46 wounded in a car bombing at a mosque in northwestern Iraq in the village of Tal al-Banat near the town of Sinjar, west of the main northern city of Mosul. AFP PHOTO/MUJAHED MOHAMMED (Photo credit should read MUJAHED MOHAMMED/AFP/Getty Images) (credit:MUJAHED MOHAMMED via Getty Images)
Charity For Orphaned Iraqi Children(58 of61)
NOTHERN IRAQ - DECEMBER 1: An orphaned Iraqi boy holds a packet of cheese spread given to him by a 101st Airborne Division soldier December 1, 2003 in Northern Iraq. Orphaned children such as these affected Spc. David McCorkle of the 318th Tactical Psychological Operations Company to the point where he took the steps in forming American Aid for Children of Nineveh Iraq, a humantiarian assistance corporation set to keep these children off the streets and in classrooms. (Photo by Chris Jones/U.S. Army via Getty Images) (credit:U.S. Army via Getty Images)
Iraqi Border With Syria Guarded By Iraqi Border Patrol(59 of61)
IRAQ/SYRIA BORDER, IRAQ - OCTOBER 31: An Iraqi border guard stands on the berm separating Iraq from Syria October 31, 2003 just west of Sinjar, Iraq. U.S. president George W. Bush said recently \'We are working closely [with Syria and Iran] to let them know we expect them to enforce borders to stop people coming across.\' The commander of the 101s t Airborne Rakkasan 1-87, Lieutenant Colonel Hank Arnold, responsible for 70 miles of the porous border says they have not seen any fighters crossing the border contrary to what President Bush says.(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
Iraqi Border With Syria Guarded By Iraqi Border Patrol(60 of61)
IRAQ/SYRIA BORDER, IRAQ - OCTOBER 31: Iraqi border guards look into Syria as they stand on the berm separating Iraq from Syria October 31, 2003 just west of Sinjar, Iraq. U.S. president George W. Bush said recently \'We are working closely [with Syria and Iran] to let them know we expect them to enforce borders to stop people coming across.\' The commander of the 101s t Airborne Rakkasan 1-87, Lieutenant Colonel Hank Arnold, responsible for 70 miles of the porous border says they have not seen any fighters crossing the border contrary to what President Bush says.(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)
U.S. Soldiers Celebrate Halloween With Donkey Race.(61 of61)
SINJAR, IRAQ - OCTOBER 31: U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Hank Arnold (L) and Major Scott Vezeau from the 101st Airborne Rakkasans regiment take time out on Halloween day for a donkey race October 31, 2003 at the American base in Sinjar, Iraq. The soldiers have been deployed in the northwestern region of the country since March 2003. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) (credit:Joe Raedle via Getty Images)