French President Francois Hollande
French President
Francois Hollande has strongly condemned the beheading in Algeria of tourist
Herve Gourdel by a jihadist group linked to Islamic State (IS) militants.
The president
described the killing as a "cruel and cowardly" act.
He said that French
air strikes which began on IS targets in Iraq last week would continue.
Jund al-Khilafa
killed Mr Gourdel, 55, after its deadline for France to halt air strikes on IS
in Iraq ran out.
Algeria said it
would do everything possible to bring the killers to justice.
"Algeria will
never ever bend to terrorism and justice will be done. Our commitment to fight
this scourge will grow even stronger," said Foreign Minister Ramtane
Lamamra.
"France is
going through an ordeal through the murder of one of its citizens, but France
will never give in to blackmail," Mr Hollande told the UN General
Assembly.
"The fight
against terrorism must continue and be stepped up."
He said that French
air strikes which began on IS targets in Iraq last week would continue.
"We will
continue to fight terrorism everywhere, notably against the group we call
Islamic State, which spreads death in Iraq and Syria, pursues civilian
populations, persecutes religious minorities, rapes, beheads," he said.
Speaking on the
sidelines of the assembly, the president said that Mr Gourdel - who was seized
on Sunday - was dead because he was the representative of French people who
"defend human dignity against barbarity".
"France will
never cede to terrorism because it is our duty, and, more than that, because it
is our honour.''
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