U.N. calls on states to combat Islamic State in Syria and Iraq
All able states should join the fight against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq and redouble efforts to prevent further attacks by the militant group, the United Nations Security Council said last night.
The 15-member council unanimously adopted a resolution drafted by France in the wake of a series of deadly attacks in Paris a week ago that killed 130 people and were claimed by Islamic State.
"The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Daesh), constitutes a global and unprecedented threat to international peace and security," the resolution said.
Islamic State used the chaos of Syria's nearly five-year civil war to seize territory in Syria and Iraq, where a U.S.-led coalition has been bombing the militants for more than a year, while Russia began air strikes in Syria in September.
The group has recently claimed responsibility for downing a Russian passenger plane in Egypt, killing all 224 people on board, and attacks in Lebanon, Turkey and Tunisia.
The council resolution "calls upon member states that have the capacity to do so to take all necessary measures ... on the territory under the control of ISIL ... in Syria and Iraq."
It also urges states to intensify...