MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - The wife of British taxi driver and volunteer aid worker, Alan Henning, taken hostage by the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, has received an audio recording of her husband begging for his life, The Independent reported Wednesday.
"I am Barbara Henning the wife of Alan Henning. I have a further message for Islamic State. An audio file of Alan pleading for his life has just been received by me. I and people representing me continue to reach out to those holding Alan. Islamic State continue to ignore our pleas to open dialogue," an official statement from the Henning family released by the UK Foreign Office was cited by the newspaper.
"I have been told that he has been to a Sharia Court and found innocent of being a spy and declared to be no threat. I implore Islamic State to abide by the decisions of their own justice system. Please release Alan," the statement concluded.
The recording was received by the family following US-led airstrikes inside Syria. Henning's relatives have expressed particular concern over the operation targeting Raqqa where the British hostage is thought to be held, The Independent reported. The victim's brother-in-law expressed fear that the strikes would cause IS militants to relocate, taking Henning with them.
Alan Henning is a 47-year old taxi driver from Manchester, who was taken hostage last December in Syria by IS militants while volunteering to assist victims of the conflict in Syria. Henning later appeared at the end of the IS video showing the execution of British aid worker, David Haines. The IS threatened to kill Henning next.
The United States and members of the international coalition against IS have carried out airstrikes targeting the militant-controlled cities of Ayn al-Arab, Serrin and Qara Qozak in addition to the suburbs of Aleppo.
Earlier in the week, the United States and its Arab allies Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates hit the IS, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist targets using aircraft, drones and Tomahawk missiles, killing over 70 Islamic State fighters, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The IS also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS), has been fighting against Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq. The jihadist group has seized areas in Syria and Iraq and declared a caliphate on its conquered territories. The Islamic State has a reputation for extreme cruelty.
