UN condemns Nepalese killings

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was appalled by the murder today of 12 Nepalese workers in Iraq and called for the release of all hostages held there.

"The secretary general is appalled and dismayed by the gruesome murders of 12 Nepalese civilian hostages in Iraq," Mr Annan’s spokesman said in a statement.

"The secretary general is particularly disturbed by the cruel nature of these crimes and their use as public spectacle," it added.

The statement said Mr Annan "strongly condemns all hostage-takings and killings of innocent civilians, which no cause can ever justify".

"He calls once again for the immediate release of all hostages in Iraq and appeals to all parties to adhere strictly to the fundamental precepts of human rights and respect for human life."

The killings marked the largest single massacre of hostages in Iraq since the start of the US-led war there.

Nepal, which is not part of the US-led coalition in Iraq, said the grisly videotape purporting to show the killings of the 12 men marked a "moment of national despair".

A statement posted on an Islamist website by the Army of Ansar al-Sunna was accompanied by pictures that showed one man’s bloodied head held like a trophy by a hooded captor. A video showed other apparent hostages being shot.

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