MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - A Reuters-IPSOS poll released Tuesday found that 62 percent of Americans do not think the US government should pay ransom in exchange for hostages captured by terrorists.
The online poll was conducted from August 12-25, surveying 4,685 American adults. The results are in line with the US and British policy of refusing to pay ransom, despite last week’s horrific video posted by the Islamic State (IS) showing the beheading of US journalist James Foley, who could have been released had the US paid a multimillion dollar ransom to IS militants, Reuters reported.
Only 29 percent of Americans polled believed the United States should not intervene by sending humanitarian aid or weapons to Iraq, while 31 percent were in favor of providing humanitarian aid and 21 percent said Washington should launch air strikes to support Iraqi government forces, Reuters reported.
A mere 36 percent of Americans supported President Barack Obama’s current air strikes to support Iraqi troops and plans to wait for Iraq’s government to reform before taking further action.
Very few of those polled agreed that US Special Forces, troops or weapons should be sent to support Baghdad and help Iraqi’s fight IS militants.
The United States currently employs a program authorized in August that allows for limited air strikes against IS advancements.
On August 19, the IS terrorist group posted an infamous YouTube video showing a masked man beheading Foley, who was taken prisoner in northwest Syria in November 2012. The executioner stated that Foley was killed due to President Obama’s airstrikes against the IS in northern Iraq.
The Islamic State has launched a Twitter campaign against US airstrikes, threatening to behead US journalist Steven Sotloff, who was captured a year ago while reporting in Syria, New York’s Daily News reported Tuesday.
