(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) The United States has denounced "cowardly murder" of 21 Egyptians by "terrorists" affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, the ISIL.
The White House late Sunday issued a statement condemning what it called a "despicable and cowardly murder of 21 Egyptian citizens in Libya by the ISIL-affiliated terrorists." The group released a video in which 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians appeared to have been "executed." White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest extended the Obama Administration's "condolences to the families of the victims" and expressed "support to the Egyptian government and people as they grieve for their fellow citizens." He further emphasized, "ISIL's barbarity knows no bounds. It is unconstrained by faith, sect, or ethnicity." "This wanton killing of innocents is just the most recent of the many vicious acts perpetrated by ISIL-affiliated terrorists against the people of the region, including the murders of dozens of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai, which only further galvanizes the international community to unite against ISIL," Earnest said.
"This heinous act once again underscores the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya, the continuation of which only benefits terrorist groups, including ISIL," he added in the statement.
"We call on all Libyans to strongly reject this and all acts of terrorism and to unite in the face of this shared and growing threat," Earnest said. "We continue to strongly support the efforts of the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General Bernardino Leon to facilitate formation of a national unity government and help foster a political solution in Libya," he concluded.
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