Britain vows to hunt down ‘evil’ killers of aid worker

LONDON — Prime Minister David Cameron vowed Sunday that Britain would hunt down the killers of an aid worker beheaded by the Islamic State, which he described as the "embodiment of evil".

Cameron said Britain was prepared to "take whatever steps are necessary" after David Haines became the third Western hostage to be beheaded by the militants in less than a month.

IS released a video Saturday showing Haines' killing and a death threat against another British captive, Alan Hemming.

President Barack Obama offered US support for its "ally in grief".

A grim-faced Cameron said in a televised statement: "We will hunt down those responsible and bring them to justice, no matter how long it takes.”

"Step by step we must drive back, dismantle and ultimately destroy the Islamic State (IS) and what it stands for. We will do so in a calm, deliberate manner. We will not do so on our own, but by working closely with our allies, not just the United States and in Europe, but with our allies in the region."

'Murderous death cult' 

Cameron is facing growing pressure at home to take military action against IS, but he made no commitment to joining the United States in launching air strikes on the group in northern Iraq and Syria.

Britain began sending weapons this week to Kurdish fighters battling the militants in northern Iraq, but has faced accusations of confusion over its strategy.

US Secretary of State John Kerry was in Paris on Sunday to push for a broad international coalition against IS, which has already secured the backing of 10 Arab states including Saudi Arabia.

The bid was boosted by Australia’s announcement that it was deploying 600 troops to the region to join the effort against what Prime Minister Tony Abbott called a “murderous death cult”.

France is hosting an international conference on Iraq on Monday, and President Francois Hollande’s office said the “heinous killing” of Haines was another reason why a global push against IS was needed.

Obama slammed the killing of Haines as “barbaric” and said the US “stands shoulder to shoulder tonight with our close friend and ally in grief and resolve”.