IS group a danger to all regional states, says Tunisia

Tunis (AFP) - Tunisia Thursday condemned the "savage crimes" of the Islamic State (IS) after it beheaded American journalist James Foley, calling the jihadist group a threat to all states in the region.

"After savage and repeated crimes committed by the terrorist organisations in Iraq against its ethnic and religious minorities and the savage execution of one of its hostages, Tunisia strongly condemns these heinous crimes," a presidency statement said.

On Tuesday, IS militants posted on the Internet a video showing a masked man using a knife to decapitate Foley, a US journalist abducted in Syria by gunmen in November 2012.

An Iraq offensive by IS jihadists, who are accused of multiple acts of summary execution, rape and other atrocities, has caused some 200,000 people, mostly members of the minority Christians and Yazidis, to flee.

"These terrorist organisations pose a threat to all countries in the region," the presidency statement said.

Tunisia "calls on the international community to protect ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq, using methods permitted by international law in such extreme situations", it said.

Many Tunisians are fighting in IS ranks in Iraq and Syria, a phenomenon that worries the Tunisian authorities.