UNITED NATIONS, January 26 (Sputnik) — The United Nations Security Council unanimously agreed to issue a statement on Sunday deploring the apparent murder of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa by the Islamic State (IS).
“The members of the Security Council deplored the apparent murder of a Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), strongly condemned the heinous and cowardly act, and demanded the immediate release of a Japanese citizen Kenji Goto,” the statement read.
According to the Security Council, Yukawa’s murder demonstrates the Islamic State’s brutality and serves as another “tragic reminder of the increasing dangers people face every day in Syria, including journalists.”
Recalling its 2014 resolution, which condemned the actions of the Islamic State and the Al-Nusra Front, the Security Council again underlined that IS “must be defeated and that the intolerance, violence and hatred it espouses must be stamped out."
Addressing those supporting the militant group, the Security Council noted that the Islamic State is included in UN's terror list and anyone providing the group with financial or material support may be subject to sanctions, including asset freezes.
The Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is a Sunni militant group which has seized vast areas in Syria and Iraq, declaring an Islamic caliphate on the territories it controls.
Earlier on Sunday, IS, known for its brutal tactics, confirmed the beheading of Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa. Fellow Japanese national Kenji Goto is reportedly alive and remains detained by the extremist group.
