UN Chief Calls for "Immediate Action" to Protect Civilians in Kobane
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for an "immediate action to protect the beleaguered civilian population of Ayn al-Arab," a town in north Syria which has been partly seized by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants.
"The secretary-general is following with grave concern the ongoing offensive by ISIL on the northern Syrian town of Ayn al-Arab, which has already resulted in massive displacement of civilians, including into Turkey, and numerous deaths and injuries," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.
The statement said the ISIL has violated human rights and international law during its "barbarous campaign."
The predominantly Kurdish city of Ayn al-Arab, also known as Kobane, has been subject to ferocious attacks by ISIL militants over the past two weeks. ISIL fighters have succeeded in capturing hundreds of Kurdish villages around Kobane, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee.
The ISIL declared a caliphate in June and has seized vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria, displacing thousands of people mainly from minority communities, Xinhua reported.
Adding to the outrage against the group is their release of videos showing the beheading of two American journalists and a British aid worker.
