The parents of Peter Kassig has released a statement through a Facebook page about the death of their son. Kassig has been beheaded by the vicious Islamic State militants and a video was released Sunday showing the terrorists' brutality.
Peter Kassig, also known as Abdul-Rahman Kassig, was a former US Army Ranger-turned-aid worker who was seized while delivering relief supplies in Syria last year. According to Yahoo! News, Kassig founded a relief group called Special Emergency Response and Assistance to help Syrian refugees caught in their country's civil war. His family created a Facebook page entitled "Mercy for Abdul Rahman Kassig," which was devoted to securing his freedom.
A 15-minute Islamic State video was posted online on Sunday showing the beheading of Peter Kassig and also the mass beheading of 18 Syrian troops. Reuters reported US President Barack Obama confirmed his death and called the beheading as "an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity."
The beheading of Peter Kassig is the fifth that the Islamic State has orchestrated. His death has greatly affected his parents who were reportedly devastated about the news. The Guardian said 26-year-old Kassig was a man known for his relentless commitment to improving the lives of other people. On a Facebook page, his family released a statement about his death.
"We are heartbroken to learn that our son, Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, has lost his life as a result of his love for the Syrian people and his desire to ease their suffering," Peter Kassig's parents, Ed and Paula, wrote on Facebook. "Our heart also goes out to the families of the Syrians who lost their lives, along with our son."
"Fed by a strong desire to use his life to save the lives of others, Abdul-Rahman was drawn to the camps that are filled with displaced families and to understaffed hospitals inside Syria," Ed and Paula Kassig continued. "We know he found his home amongst the Syrian people, and he hurt when they were hurting."
On the Facebook page dedicated for Peter Kassig, his parents also wrote that they are proud of their son for offering his life to humanitarian causes. Paula and Ed also added they will work every day to keep their son's legacy alive.
Meanwhile, Peter Kassig's parents also shared their sentiments about the death of four other victims that were beheaded by the Islamic State.
"We remain heartbroken, also, for the families of the other captives who did not make it home safely," Peter Kassig's parents stated through a Facebook post. "The families of James Foley, Steven Sotloff, David Haines, and Alan Henning remain in our daily thoughts and prayers, and we pray for the safe return of all remaining captives held by all sides of the Syrian civil war."
Also on Facebook, Peter Kassig's family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions in honor of their son be made to the Syrian American Medical Society that is working to meet the medical needs of Syrians displaced and injured by war.
