TEHRAN (Tasnim) Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende regretted certain countries backing for the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).In a meeting with Irans Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Brende described support for ISIL terrorist group as "the strategic mistake" of certain states, and said strengthening extremism is a two-edged sword which can be dangerous for all sides.
He regarded fighting ISIL as a common objective and called for short-term and long-term strategies to tackle the extremist group.
The ISIL terrorists control large areas of Syria and Iraq. The group first sent its militants into Iraq in June, seizing large parts of land along the border between the two countries.
The militants have been carrying out horrific acts of violence, including public decapitations and crucifixions against Iraqi communities such as Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Norwegian top diplomat described the situation in Syria as "complicated" and said a political and democratic approach is necessary for the resolution of Syrias crisis.
Amir Abdollahian, for his part, censured certain countries attempts to exploit ISIL to foment Islamophobia, saying that they are endangering regional and global security.
He also reiterated that the Syrian crisis only has political solution and said providing the so-called moderate opposition in Syria with weapons is yet another attempt to divert the country from a political path to a military one.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011 with ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of it mostly in the east.
The US and its regional allies- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey- have been supporting the militants operating inside Syria for more than three years.
More than 191,000 people have been killed in over three years of fighting in the war-ravaged country, says the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), calling the figure a probable underestimate of the real total number of people killed.
By Tasnim News Agency
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