It seems that ISIS knows no end to their moral deficiency. They will do their best to make money off of Western hostages, dead or alive. 

A new level of deprivation? The Islamic State (IS or ISIS) terror group operating out of Syria and Iraq has reportedly offered to sell the remains of James Foley, the American journalist they decapitated in mid-August, for the extravagant sum of $1m.

Foley was the first American whose execution was documented and publicized in the now-infamous style which has become ISIS’ trademark.  He was followed by American-Israeli journalist Steven Sotloff, who was murdered in September.

British aid worker David Haines’ beheading followed at the end of September, and Alan Henning, a British national, was next on October 3. Finally, Peter Kassig became the fifth Western victim to be decapitated on camera in mid-November.

Buzz Feed News reports that middlemen with ties to ISIS are trying to elicit funds from the U.S. government or the victim’s family in exchange for the body of at least one deceased American captive. The exchange would reportedly occur on the Turkish border, and the terror group was willing to provide a DNA sample to facilitate a deal.

One of the intermediaries, a former terrorist with ties to the various terror groups in Syria, including ISIS, told Buzz Feed that his motivation was to help the grieving family find closure, calling his work “a humanity case.”

Another intermediary, a businessman who had sought to use his own ISIS connections to facilitate hostage deals, was candid about his goals when he told Buzz Feed: “This is business.”

Negotiating With Terrorists?

ISIS, which has demanded ransom for live hostages, is now seeking payment for a body. A recent report published by the UN reveals that ISIS has accumulated a vast sum of $35-45 million over the past year in ransom money.

Yotsna Lalji, a UN specialist monitoring al-Qaeda, told a meeting of the UN Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee that an estimated $120 million in ransom money was paid to terrorist groups around the world between 2004 and 2012.

PressTV reports that many governments do pay ransom money in order to release their nationals kidnapped by terrorist groups. The U.S. says it will not change its position against paying ransom for American hostages.

Foley’s parents said that the U.S. government had threatened them with prosecution if they paid a ransom for their son’s release.

However, a member of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), the American-backed rebel group fighting to depose the Assad regime, which may serve as a third party during negotiations for the returning of the body, stated that “it will be like a shame for the U.S. government” if they try to stop the deal, and “people will ask why you brought the body but you didn’t bring him when he was alive.”

By: United with Israel Staff

Tell us in the comments below: The U.S. government has a standing policy of not negotiating with terrorists. Do You think there are circumstances in which they should negotiate? What would YOU do in this kind of situation?

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