UN condemns terror group's killing of Chinese, Norwegian

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned the killing of a Chinese and a Norwegian held captive by the Islamic State terrorist group, calling for their killers to be brought to justice.

Both China and Norway had confirmed the deaths of hostages, Fan Jinghui of China and Ole Grimsgaard-Ofstad of Norway.

"These crimes once again demonstrate the brutality of the Islamic State, which is responsible for thousands of crimes and abuses against people.

"These people come from all faiths, ethnicities and nationalities, and without regard to any basic value of humanity", the council said in a statement.