Islamic
extremists today said they would murder a French tourist captured in
Algeria 'within 24 hours' if Paris did not halt its intervention in
Iraq.
The
sinister threat was made by Jund al-Khilifa (Soldiers of the
Caliphate), who are using exactly the same tactics as the Iraq and
Syria-based terror group IS (Islamic State), also known as Isis.
Jund
al-Khilifa have released a video showing Herve Pierre Gourdel, 55,
flanked by two hooded men clutching Kalashnikov assault rifles.
The
footage was confirmed as authentic, and came after IS urged Muslims
around the world to kill 'the spiteful and filthy' French.
An image grab taken from a video
released by Jund al-Khilifa group via YouTube, which allegedly shows
French tourist Herve Pierre Gourdel (centre), sitting between two armed
jihadists at an undisclosed location
France
has been accused of paying ransoms to terrorists in the past, but on
Friday its airforce launched bombing raids on IS forces in Iraq.
Today
Prime Minister Manuel Valls said there would be 'no discussion, no
negotiation and we will never give in to blackmail, even if we are of
course very worried after the authentication of this video.'
Interior
Minister Bernard Cazeneuve also tried to reassure the country, saying:
'France is not afraid, France is prepared to respond to their threat.'
Jund al-Khilifa, which has pledged its allegiance to IS, said it would kill Mr Gourdel, who is from Nice, within a day.
The group said it captured him while he was hiking with friends in a mountainous region of eastern Algeria.
Algeria, which won independence from France in 1962 following a bitter war of independence, is a hotbed of Islamic terrorism.
Jund al-Khilifa, which has pledged its
allegiance to IS (pictured), said it would kill Mr Gourdel, who is from
Nice, within a day
The
Tizi Ouzou region, where Mr Gourdel was abducted, has been the scene of
attacks by al Qaeda's North African branch, AQIM (Al Qaeda in the
Islamic Maghreb).
They
have been operating in the mountainous wooded area for more than a
decade, since the end of the brutal civil war which decimated Algeria
during the 1990s.
On
Monday, Islamic State (IS) issued an audio statement calling on Muslims
everywhere to kill citizens of nations that have joined the fight
against jihadist groups in Iraq.
Spokesman
Abu Mohammed al-Adnani called on followers to 'kill a disbelieving
American or European - especially the spiteful and filthy French - or an
Australian, or a Canadian, or any other disbeliever from the
disbelievers waging war'.
US
aircraft have carried out more than 170 strikes since August 8, and
President Barack Obama has since been creating an international
coalition against the terrorist movement.
The bombing campaign was launched to protect Iraqi Kurdistan from advancing IS forces.
Jihadists who already controlled parts of neighbouring Syria captured the Iraqi city of Mosul on June 10th.
They
have also enjoyed success against the Iraqi army, while carrying out a
series of atrocities against non-Muslim groups, including Christians.
IS
videos of the beheading of two US journalists and a British aid worker
in Syria sparked international outrage, as well as calls for more action
to crush them.
IS's
latest web propaganda will lead to an increase in security and
surveillance in France, where 'home-grown' Jihadists are as common as
they are in Britain.
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