Islamic terrorists show video of executions of 30 Christians

 The Islamic State jihadist group on Sunday released a
video purportedly showing the executions of some
30 Ethiopian Christians captured in Libya.
The 29-minute video purports to show militants
holding two groups of captives, described in a text on
the screen as “followers of the cross from the enemy
Ethiopian Church”.
A masked fighter in black brandishing a pistol makes
a statement threatening Christians if they do not
convert to Islam.
The video then switches between footage of one
group of about 12 men being beheaded by masked
militants on a beach and another group of at least 16
being shot in the head in a desert area.
It was not immediately clear who the captives were
or exactly how many were killed.
Before the killings, the video shows purported
footage of Christians in Syria explaining how they had
been given the choice of converting to Islam or
paying a special tax, and had decided to pay.
The video bore the logo of IS’s media arm and was
similar to footage the group released in the past,
including of a group of 21 Coptic Christians, mainly
Egyptians, beheaded on a Libyan beach in February.
Several Libyan jihadist groups have pledged
allegiance to IS, the extremist organisation that
seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq last
year and declared an Islamic “caliphate”.
IS has carried out widespread atrocities and won the
support of jihadist groups across the region.
Libya has been wracked by unrest since the 2011
uprising that toppled and killed dictator Moamer
Kadhafi, with two opposing governments and armed
groups battling to control its cities and oil wealth.
UN-backed efforts to form a national unity
government have made little progress and officials
have warned that Libya — awash with weapons after
Kadhafi’s overthrow — threatens to become a haven
for jihadists on Europe’s doorstep.
IS has persecuted minorities including Christians and
its executions of the Egyptian Copts prompted
retaliatory air strikes from Cairo.
Egypt called for an international intervention against
the jihadists in Libya but Western diplomats
expressed reservations, saying a political deal must
be the priority.
A US-led coalition of Western and Arab nations is
carrying out an air war against IS in Syria and in Iraq,
where pro-government forces have managed in
recent months to retake some territory seized by the
group.
The group’s attacks have raised fears for Christians
across the Middle East and been condemned by
religious leaders.