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ISIL's "heinous and cowardly" murders is a tragic reminder of the increasing dangers humanitarian personnel face every day in Syria, the UN Security Council said in a statement.

The members of the Security Council strongly condemned the murders of US humanitarian aid worker Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known as Peter Kassig, and at least 15 Syrian captives by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The Council expressed in the statement released Tuesday evening their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the peoples of the United States and Syria.

These crimes once again demonstrate the brutality of ISIL, which is responsible for thousands of abuses against the Syrian and Iraqi peoples, they added.

The UNSC recalled its resolution 2175 (2014) and their demand that all parties involved in an armed conflict comply fully with the obligations applicable to them under international humanitarian law, including to respect and protect all humanitarian personnel. They recalled their condemnation of all forms of violence and intimidation to which those participating in humanitarian operations are increasingly exposed.

ISIL must be defeated and that the intolerance, violence, and hatred it espouses must be stamped out, it stressed.

They further emphasized that such continued acts of barbarism perpetrated by ISIL do not intimidate them, but rather stiffen their resolve that there has to be a common effort among governments and institutions, including those in the region most affected, to counter ISIL, Al-Nusra Front and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaeda, as the Council resolved in United Nations Security Council resolution 2170 (2014).

Furthermore, the Council demanded the immediate, safe and unconditional release of all those who are kept hostage by ISIL, Al-Nusra Front, and all other individuals, groups, undertakings, and entities associated with Al-Qaeda.

Nevertheless, the UNSC stressed that those responsible for the killing of Abdul-Rahman Kassig and the Syrian captives shall be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively in this regard, KUNA reported.