British hostage appears in new IS video condemning Western airstrikes

A British hostage being held by Islamic State (IS) militants has appeared in another video released online. John Cantlie, who is again dressed in an orange jumpsuit, addresses the issue of airstrikes by Western forces in Iraq. It is not apparent whether or not he was forced by IS militants to deliver the message, which lasts six minutes and 53 seconds. IS, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, has previously killed four western hostages. The latest beheading, of Salford taxi driver Alan Henning, came to light on October 3 .

Anyone hoping for a nice neat surgical operation without getting their hands dirty is in for a horrible surprise once it gets under way. For now U.S. intervention policy remains airstrikes and humanitarian drops in Iraq with a constant emphasis on minimum time commitment to pacify the public back home.

John Cantlie, IS hostage

The video is titled “Lend Me Your Ears”. It comes after an article allegedly written by Mr Cantlie, a photojournalist who has worked for newspapers including The Sunday Times, appeared online in an IS magazine. Mr Cantlie has already featured in several propaganda videos. A Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman said: “We are aware of the video and article and are investigating their contents.” The 43-year-old was apparently captured in northern Syria in 2012, when he had been working as an independent photojournalist. Earlier this month his father made an emotional appeal for his release .

The video is mostly a lecture and it was probably filmed under duress. John Cantlie is quite clearly reading from a script, a script he claims to have written himself.

Ashish Joshi, Sky News Correspondent

World John Cantlie