UN Security Council calls for international support against ISIS

Says ISIS' large-scale offensive poses a major threat to the region

The UN Security Council Friday urged the international community to "further strengthen and expand support" for Iraqi government in fighting Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.

In a presidential statement issued here at a ministerial debate chaired by US Secretary of State John Kerry, the members of Security Council strongly condemned attacks by terrorist organisations, including IS and associated armed groups, in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon and emphasized that "this large-scale offensive poses a major threat to the region", Xinhua reported.

Expressing its deep outrage about killing, kidnapping, raping, and torture by IS, as well as its use of children, the 15-nation council noted that some of the terrorist group's violations may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.