Vietnam condemns execution of Japanese hostages by IS

Vietnam strongly condemns barbaric and inhuman activities targeting innocent civilians, said a Vietnamese official on Tuesday.

Le Hai Binh, spokesperson of Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) made the remark while addressing reporters' inquiries on Vietnam's response over the execution of Japanese hostages by the Islamic State (IS).

"We would like to send our deepest condolences to the government and people of Japan as well as relatives of the victims, " Binh said on MOFA website on Tuesday.

"We support the efforts of international community in the fight against terrorism in all forms as well as violent extremist activities, on the basis of respecting the United Nations Charter, the principles of the international law, and the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries concerned to ensure the safety of civilians," Binh said.

IS purportedly released a video on the internet last Saturday showing that it had beheaded Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

Last week, it claimed responsibility for beheading Haruna Yukawa, just a few days after the extremist group released a video showing that it was holding the Japanese pair. Endi