UN Condemns Islamic State Beheadings of Egyptian Christians

The UN Security Council today condemned the apparent beheadings of 21 Egyptian Christians by Islamic State militants in Libya as "heinous and cowardly," and urged member states to "combat by all means" such threats to international peace.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also denounced the killings, which were shown on a video posted on Sunday on the Internet.

"This crime once again demonstrates the brutality of ISIL, which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities, and without regard to any basic value of humanity," the Security Council said in a statement.

It said the council's members had "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."

The statement was issued overnight before Egypt launched retaliatory air strikes in Libya against Islamic State, or ISIL as the group is also known.

The Egyptian military said its warplanes struck the militant group's camps, training and meeting areas and weapons depots.

In his statement, Ban said dialogue in Libya remained "the best chance to help the country overcome its current crisis. Only through dialogue can Libyans build a state and institutions that are able to confront terrorism."

He deplored "the targeting of people on account of their religious affiliation.

"The secretary-general expresses his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives as a result of this barbaric act and to the government of Egypt."

The Security Council statement, for its part, reaffirmed its full support for Ban's special representative Bernardino Leon's efforts to foster an inclusive political process in Libya, and said only unity and dialogue could build a state capable of confronting terrorism.

"The members of the Security Council stressed that those responsible for these killings shall be held accountable, and urged all states, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with Libya, Egypt and all other relevant authorities in this regard," it said.