UN Security Council slams IS-held Japanese hostage kill

The UN Security Council on Sunday strongly condemned the apparent murder of a Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa by the Islamic State.

In a press statement issued here, the Security Council also demanded the immediate release of Japanese citizen Kenji Goto.

"The members of the Security Council stressed that those responsible for the killing of Haruna Yukawa shall be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with Japan and all other relevant authorities in this regard," said the statement.

A video released late Saturday suggested that Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa held by the Islamic State (IS) militants was killed.

The new video came after a clip showed Tuesday by IS militants that demanded 200 million U.S. dollars for ransom of the two Japanese hostages within 72 hours.