by Benson Agoha | SecurityThe United Nations Security Council Friday evening called on all countries that can do so to take the war on terrorism to Islamic State-controlled territory in Syria and Iraq and destroy its safe haven.
A statement published on the official website of the United Nations cited the continued "gross, systematic and widespread" abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law, as well as barbaric acts of destruction and looting of cultural heritage in Iraq and Syria as strong reason for it to act.
The resolution follows the “horrifying terrorist attacks” it perpetrated recently in Sousse (Tunisia), Ankara (Turkey), over Sinai (Egypt) with the downing of a Russian plane, and in Beirut and Paris.
The resolution, sponsored by France calls on world nations to redouble efforts, coordinate action to fight the terror group that has wrought mayhem on Iraq, Syria, France (Paris) and Lebanon (Beirut).
The resolution was unanimously adopted by the 15-member body which declared the group’s terrorist attacks abroad “a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security”.
The UN said IS intends to mount further terror attacks like those that devastated Paris and Beirut last week.
The UN resolution comes as the alert level in Brussels was raised to the highest bar and the city placed on a lock-down while Belgian forces conducted intensive searches across large the city.
The UN warned that the Islamic State has the capability and intention to carry out further strikes and called upon Member States that have the capacity to do so to "take all necessary measures, in compliance with international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and humanitarian law” on its territory.
It is not just ISIL that the UN targets for destruction. Other terrorist groups in the region such as Al-Nusrah Front are being targeted as well in which the UN said was in order to “to eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Iraq and Syria.”
The UN called on Member States to intensify efforts to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters to Iraq and Syria, and to "prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism". And it reaffirmed that those responsible for terrorist acts, violations of international humanitarian law or violations or abuses of human rights must be held accountable.
The resolution also expressed deepest condolences to the victims of the terrorist attacks and their families and to the people and Governments of Tunisia, Turkey, Russia, Lebanon and France, and to all Governments whose citizens were targeted in these attacks and all other victims of terrorism.
“By its violent extremist ideology, its terrorist acts, its continued gross systematic and widespread attacks directed against civilians, abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those driven on religious or ethnic ground, its eradication of cultural heritage and trafficking of cultural property,” ISIL constitutes “a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security,” the Council stressed.
It also cited the group’s control of natural resources in Iraq and Syria and its recruitment and training of foreign terrorist fighters whose threat affects all regions and Member States, even those far from conflict zones.
In a post resolution speech, PM David Cameron said "... the world has united against ISIL.....and has resolved to defeat this evil, which threatens people of every country and every religion."
David Cameron said the unanimous resolution to back the action against this evil death cult in both Syria and Iraq also contains a determination to find a political solution to the Syria conflict.
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| * UN Security Council: Credit: United Nations |
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