(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
Western powers have promised to fight Islamic State militants in Iraq until they are no longer a force in the Middle East.
The vow comes as the United States says it will seek justice for the beheading of a second US journalist by the group.
And as Santilla Chingaipe reports, Britain has also joined in the fight against the Islamic State after one of its citizens was threatened in a video.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
US President Barack Obama says Islamic State militants in Iraq will not intimidate the United States.
His comments follow the militants' release earlier this week of a video showing the beheading of a second US journalist.
The footage shows 31 year old freelancer Steven Sotloff being beheaded in similar surroundings to those where fellow journalist James Foley was beheaded last month.
The White House has confirmed the video showing the execution of Mr Sotloff is authentic.
Mr Obama says the latest execution has left him more determined to defeat the Islamic State militants.
"Whatever these murderers think they'll achieve by killing innocent Americans like Steven, they have already failed. They have failed because, like people around the world, Americans are repulsed by their barbarism. We will not be intimidated. Their horrific acts only unite us as a country and stiffen our resolve to take the fight against these terrorists."
The US president has stressed the fight against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, will take time.
"Our objective is clear, and that is to degrade and destroy ISIL so that it's no longer a threat, not just to Iraq, but also to the region and to the United States."
The family of Steven Sotloff has spoken publicly for the first time since the news of his beheading.
Family spokesman Barak Barfi says Mr Sotloff was not trying to be a hero.
"He was no war junkie. He did not want to be a modern day Lawrence of Arabia. He merely wanted to give voice to those who had none. Steve was no hero. Like all of us, he was a mere man who tried to find good concealed in a world of darkness. And if it did not exist, he tried to create it."
Britain has joined the United States on the frontline against the Islamic State.
It comes after a British hostage's life was threatened in the video showing the execution of Steven Sotloff.
A masked militant in the video also warned a British man would be killed in response to US air strikes against militants in northern Iraq.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond says British officials will look at every possible option to protect that person.
And he says it could include taking part in air strikes.
"We will look very carefully at the options available to us to support the legitimate government of Iraq and Kurdistan in defending themselves against the threat from ISIL. And if we judge that air strikes could be beneficial, could be the best way to do that, then we will certainly consider them, but we've made no decision to do so at the moment."
Prime Minister David Cameron says Britain will increase diplomatic efforts to assure other countries of the Group of Eight major economies do not pay hostage ransoms.
They have an agreement not to pay, but Mr Cameron says he believes tens of millions of dollars in ransom payments are going to the militants in Syria and Iraq.
"There's no doubt in my mind that the many tens of millions of dollars that ISIL have raised from ransom payments is going into promoting terrorism, including terrorism affecting our own country. At the G8, I launched an initiative to try to get other countries to sign up to a very clear doctrine that, in the case of terrorist kidnap, no ransom should be paid. Britain continues with this policy, America continues with this policy, but we need to redouble the efforts to make sure that other countries are good to their word."
US and European officials have said France, Spain and Italy have tolerated or facilitated ransom payments for citizens held in Syria.
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