IS militants shoot, behead Ethiopian Christians in LibyaApril 20, 2015 - 09:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Islamic State (IS) militants have released a video purportedly showing the killing of up to 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya. Footage shows one group of men being beheaded on a beach and another group being shot in the head in a desert. The victims are believed to be members of the Ethiopian Church seized in Libya by IS-linked militants. The video is similar to previous ones posted by IS, including the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in February. The latest tape is 29 minutes long and bears the official logo of the media arm of IS. Its authenticity has not been independently verified, the BBC says. Ethiopian Information Minister Redwan Hussein said the government was trying to verify the nationalities of those shown in the video. He condemned the killings, calling them a crime against humanity. The U.S. also voiced its outrage at the "brutal mass murder". "This atrocity once again underscores the urgent need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya," said National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan. In the video, a masked militant with a gun is seen making a statement threatening Christians if they do not convert to Islam or pay a special tax. The latest killings appear to have taken place in two regions of Libya - in the south and the east, the BBC says. IS, which controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria, has in recent months published a number of videos apparently showing the killing of its hostages, drawing condemnation around the world. Photo: Reuters Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |