UNITED NATIONS, November 19 (Sputnik) — The UN Security Council has condemned the "heinous and cowardly murders" of US aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig and at least 15 Syrian captives committed by Islamic state (IS) and has called for accountability, a statement issued by the council read.
"His [Kassig's] murder is a tragic reminder of the increasing dangers humanitarian personnel face every day in Syria. The members of the Security Council recalled their demand that all parties, involved in an armed conflict, comply fully with the obligations applicable to them under international humanitarian law, including to respect and protect all humanitarian personnel," the statement published Tuesday read.
Calling for accountability, the members of the Security Council "underlined the need to bring perpetrators of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice. The members of the Security Council stressed that those, responsible for the killing of Abdul-Rahman Kassig and the Syrian captives, shall be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively in this regard."
The members of the Security Council concluded that they "reaffirmed the need to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, threats to international peace and security, caused by terrorist acts, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed."
Kassig, a Muslim convert, who worked for the relief organization Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA) that he founded in order to aid Syrian refugees, was abducted in eastern Syria in October 2013.
The IS issued a video, claiming the killing of Kassig along the execution of Syrian soldiers on November 16. US President Barack Obama confirmed the beheading of the US citizen calling it an act of "pure evil." Kassig's death marked the fifth execution of a Western captive by the Islamist militant group.
IS has already executed American reporter James Foley, American-Israeli journalist Steven Sotloff, British aid worker David Haines and British aid worker Alan Henning. The killings, according to the jihadists, are in retaliation against the US-led air strikes targeting IS militants.
