Brussels, 18/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 17 February, the European Union condemned the murder of “a large number of residents” of al-Baghdadi town in western Iraq, who are reported to have been burned alive, as “further evidence of the denial by Da'esh [Islamic State - IS] of human life and dignity”. The spokesperson for High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that, as stated in the “EU regional Strategy for Syria and Iraq as well as the Da'esh threat”, the EU was determined to stand by Iraq in the fight against terrorism (see EUROPE 11248). The EU remains committed to contributing to regional and international efforts to fight Da'esh and other terrorist groups that threaten regional and global stability, Mogherini's spokesperson stated.
According to the al-Baghdadi local authorities, IS has reportedly burned 45 people alive. These could be members of the security forces. IS seized a large part of the town on 12 February. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)