Islamic State Claims to Have Killed Croatian Hostage

The Islamic State claimed this week to have executed a Croatian hostage being held captive in Egypt.

The terrorist group reportedly circulated photos of Tomislav Salopek's body on social media this week, days after demanding that Muslim female prisoners being held in Egypt be released in exchange for Salopek's safe return.

The Croatian hostage had reportedly been kidnapped near Cairo last month when he had been working for a French geoscience company.

 According to the AFP, the caption that joined the photo of the body read: "Execution of prisoner from Croatia - which has participated in war on Islamic State - after deadline ended."

The alleged beheading of the Croat hostage comes as American 2016 presidential hopefuls spar over international issues, including strategies for defeating the Islamic State.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush recently said that it may be necessary to send more troops into Iraq to combat the terror group, adding "Who can seriously argue that America and our friends are safer today than in 2009, when the president and Secretary Clinton - the storied 'team of rivals' - took office?"

"So eager to be the history-makers, they failed to be the peacemakers," Bush added.

Bush added that his goal as president would be to unite moderate forces in Syria to combat the terrorist group, saying "we should back that force up all the way through - not just in taking the fight to the enemy, but in helping them to form a stable, moderate government."

"It's a tough, complicated diplomatic and military proposition, even more so than the current situation in Iraq. But it can be done," he added.