Cairo, Nov 17 (IANS): Egypt Monday strongly condemned the beheading of a US hostage by the Islamic State(IS) Sunni radical organisation.

The footage, released Sunday, showed the beheading of a captured American aid worker, Abdul-Rahman Kassig, and at least 12 other people who, the IS said, were Syrian pilots and officers in President Bashar al-Assad's forces.

"The crime asserts the need for greater international collaboration to combat terrorism in the world," Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in a statement, according to state-run MENA news agency.

The aid worker was earlier known as Peter Kassig before he converted to Islam. He was kidnapped in Syria last year.

The footage showed a bloodied head on the ground, which was that of Kassig, IS said in the video.

"This is Peter Edward Kassig, a US citizen of your country. Peter, who fought against Muslims in Iraq, was serving as a soldier in the American army, does not have much to say," a masked person standing near the head said.