UNSC Warns ISIL Poses Threat not Only to Iraq, Syria, but to Regional Peace, Security and Stability

UNITED NATIONS-The UN Security Council has stressed that the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses a threat not only to Iraq and Syria but to “regional peace, security and stability.”

 On Tuesday, a UNSC statement condemned attacks by the terrorists of ISIL against minorities in Iraq and warned that those responsible for the violence could face trial for crimes against humanity.

According to AFP, the statement from the 15-member Council was the second strong condemnation over the past two weeks of the ISIL attacks that saw terrorists to seize control of the main northern city of Mosul on June 10. The Council warned that the ISIL, which now calls itself the Islamic State (IS), posed a threat not only to Iraq and Syria but to “regional peace, security and stability.”

“Widespread or systematic attacks directed against any civilian populations because of their ethnic background, religion or belief may constitute a crime against humanity, for which those responsible must be held accountable,” said the statement.

The Council condemned “in the strongest terms” the systematic persecution of these communities. “Many of these Iraqis have been displaced or forced to flee and seek refuge, while many others have been executed and kidnapped,” said the Council statement.

However, the statement didn’t refer to the crimes which were perpetrated by the foreign-backed armed terrorist groups, including ISIL, in Syria and which were uncovered and documented by hundreds of western media reports.

H. Mustafa