(VOVworld) - The United Nations Security Council on Monday strongly condemned incidents of kidnapping and hostage-taking committed by terrorists for any purpose, including raising funds or gaining political concessions, and called for international cooperation to tackle this scourge.

Wide view of the Security Council. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine (file photo)

In its first-ever resolution devoted specifically to kidnapping for ransom by terrorists, the 15-member body called on all Member States to prevent terrorists from benefitting directly or indirectly from ransom payments or from political concessions and to secure the safe release of hostages.

The resolution noted that “ransom payments to terrorist groups are one of the sources of income which supports their recruitment efforts, strengthens their operational capability to organize and carry out terrorist attacks, and incentivizes future incidents of kidnapping for ransom.”

The UN expressed its worries about the increase of kidnaps for ransoms conducted by terrorists groups, especially the Al Qaeda and its branches. It encouraged the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) to hold a Special Meeting with the participation of Member States and relevant international and regional organizations to discuss measures to prevent incidents of kidnapping and hostage-taking committed by terrorist groups to raise funds or gain political concessions