UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 4 (PNA/Sputnik) — The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a press statement, deploring the murder of Jordanian pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh by the Islamic State, and calling for accountability and the immediate release of all hostages held by the militant group.
“The members of the Security Council deplored the apparent murder of a Jordanian air force pilot Muath al-Kasasbeh by ISIL, and strongly condemned the heinous and cowardly act,” read the statement, published Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, a video emerged online, showing the Jordanian pilot being burned to death while trapped in a cage. Al-Kasasbeh was taken hostage by the Islamic State in December, when his aircraft crashed in Syria.
Those responsible for the killing, which once again demonstrates the brutality of IS, “shall be held accountable for this crime and cowardly act”, the Security Council said, urging all states to cooperate with Jordan on this matter.
The Security Council also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by IS, as well as other extremist groups.
The Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has seized vast areas of Syria and neighboring Iraq, announcing the establishment of an Islamic caliphate. Hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes by the notoriously brutal militant group.
The Jordanian Air Force has been carrying out airstrikes in Syria as a part of the US-led international coalition against IS, which has targeted the militants’ positions in Iraq since August 2014, and in Syria since September. (PNA/Sputnik)