Royce: ‘Disgusted’ by beheading of American journalist

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said Tuesday that the apparent beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff by terrorist group Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was “horrendous.”

“I am disgusted by what appears to be another horrendous killing of an American journalist at the hands of ISIS,” Royce said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with Steven Sotloff’s family.”

{mosads}Royce said that the latest apparent beheading of an American journalist suggested that the threat of ISIS is increasingly more concerning.

“Sadly, ISIS is bringing this barbarity across the region – beheading and crucifying those who don’t share their dark ideology,” Royce said. “The threat from this group seems to grow by the day.”

The House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman said the U.S. should target ISIS with air strikes and arm the local Kurdish military.

“Working with key allies, the United States needs to be acting urgently to arm the Kurds on the ground who are fighting them, and targeting ISIS from the air with drone strikes,” Royce said.

If confirmed, Sotloff would be the second American journalist beheaded by ISIS in recent weeks. The radical Sunni militant group released a video showing the beheading of journalist James Foley on Aug. 19.