In a recent institutional communication issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government of Costa Rica reiterated its most emphatic condemnation of everything that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) stands for. This reaffirmation of repudiation was made in the wake of the killing of French citizen Hervé Gourdel in Algeria by a splinter cell that has pledged allegiance to ISIS.

 

At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed solidarity with the good people of France and her government. The government of Costa Rica has condemned all actions undertaken by ISIS, the terrorist organization that has taken over parts of Iraq and that is being targeted by a coalition of Arab and NATO states with air bombing missions.

 

Although President Luis Guillermo Solis has made recent headlines during his visit to the United Nations and his call for Costa Rica to never cede being a bastion against militarism and armed conflict, the recent communication by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on ISIS indicates some support for the air campaign against that group. Specifically, the Ministry stated that the government of Costa Rica is willing to support the fight against terrorism as long as it is conducted within the framework of international laws and standing treaties.

 

The Ministry added that combative action against ISIS could be deemed appropriate given the group’s perverse and destructive campaign of terror, which targets innocent civilians. France, the United States, the United Kingdom and various Arab nations are actively flying missions against ISIS in the Middle East.

 

In a series of disturbing videos posted to YouTube and spread across the Internet, ISIS has shown the beheaded bodies of citizens from the United States and the United Kingdom who had been taking hostage months ago. Some of the victims have been journalists while the citizen from the UK was a volunteer aid worker whose actions benefited Muslims besieged by the aftermath of the War on Terror.