DAMASCUS, Syria, Oct. 24 (UPI) —
An al-Qaida senior official has become an unlikely defender of Peter Kassig, an American held hostage by the Islamic State.
Peter Kassig, a former U.S. Army medic, established Special Emergency Response and Assistance, a non-governmental organization, to assist the wounded in Syria, treating both civilians and fighters alike.
Al-Nusra Front senior official Abu Omar Aqidi recalled in a series of Twitter posts that when he was wounded, Kassig "performed a successful operation under bombardment by the regime."
Abdul-Rahman #Kassig as a volunteer & @seramedic, bringing medical supplies and assistance to victims of war. #Syria pic.twitter.com/KQstpzvLeKâ € ” Kassig Family (@kassigfamily) October 24, 2014
Aqidi initially thought Kassig was a fellow fighter but "it later became clear to me that he’s an humanitarian activist that served in Deir al-Zour for more than a year and was then kidnapped by ISIL," he wrote on Twitter.
On Oct. 1, 2013, Kassig was abducted while delivering medical supplies to Deir al-Zour. During his captivity, Kassig converted to Islam and took the name Abdul Rahman.
In a video released Oct. 3 depicting the beheading of Briton Alan Henning, IS threatened to execute Kassig next.
Aqidi is now asking IS to spare Kassig, citing both his Muslim faith and the medical attention rendered on the battlefield.
His plea joins that of the Kassig family. On Thursday, Kassig’s mother Paula tweeted a message intended for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed leader of IS:
"We have tried to contact you directly to plea for the life of our only son, Abdul Rahman Kassig, and have not received any response. Please tell us what more we can do so that Abdul Rahman may continue to serve and live his life in accordance with the teachings of Islam."
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