INDIANAPOLIS (AP) _ The American journalist beheaded by the Islamic State extremist group had gone to Iraq with Indiana National Guard soldiers during a 2008 deployment.

James Foley was embedded with members of the Indiana Guard's 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, during which time he wrote several stories and took photographs for the Post-Tribune newspaper in northwestern Indiana.

Indiana Guard officials say Foley was able to document the war in Iraq from the soldier's perspective. Guard officials say Foley was very well liked by soldiers and had a genuine appreciation the job they were doing.

The 40-year-old journalist from Rochester, New Hampshire, had not been seen since being abducted in northern Syria in November 2012 while freelancing for Agence France-Presse and the Boston-based news organization GlobalPost.