An American journalist has been killed by Islamic State, ISIS, militants who said the act was in retaliation for US air strikes on the group’s forces in Iraq.

The journalist, James Foley, a freelance reporter for the Boston based Global Post is seen in a video released on Tuesday by the ISIS terrorists being beheaded by a hooded militant.

Foley, 40, had been declared missing in November 2012 in Syria where he was covering the civil was there. He was initially thought to be captured by forces loyal to Syrian dictator, Bashir al – Assad. His killing came barely 24 hours after ISIS threatened that it will “Drown all of you in blood.”

In the video of nearly five minutes titled “Message to America”, the masked militant who spoke English said that he was killing the man kneeling before him to retaliate America’s air strikes against ISIS forces which commenced 12 days ago.

Foley was made to read a statement in the video blaming the US for his murder.

“I call on my friends, family and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the U.S. government,” he read from a prepared statement.

Continuing, Foley said “My message to my beloved parents: Save me some dignity, and don’t accept some minor compensation for my death from the same people who effectively hit the last nail in my coffin with their recent aerial campaign in Iraq.”

After gruesomely killing Foley, the video shows the masked executioner grabbing another American journalist, Steven Sotloff, who writes for Time magazine and threatening, “The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision.”

The journalist’s heartbroken mother, Diane Foley, has since issued a statement implying that her son is dead, saying that he gave his life to exposing the suffering of the people of Syria.

“We have never been prouder of our son Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people,” Diane said in the statement posted on Facebook.

Diane also appealed to the militants to release other hostages in their custody.

“We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world,” she pleaded.

Foley is one of 40 journalists so far killed while reporting from Syria, according to Reporters Without Borders, which has named the country as the most dangerous place in the world for newsmen.