NEW YORK – Following a United Nations summit on combating Islamic State (IS), the Hungarian government has revealed that it will upgrade the role of its troops in the Kurdistan Region.

Troops already serving in the region will now take on extra training of Peshmerga, with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó saying the course of action is vital if Europe is to see a fall in the number of refugees fleeing the war in Syria and Iraq.

“Unfortunately Islamic State is conquering more and more territories, more and more people are forced to leave their homes because of their atrocities.”

Hungary has found itself at the centre of the refugee crisis in Europe, as thousands try to make their way further north to Germany, the UK and Scandinavian countries.

“Therefore if we truly intend to ease the migration pressure on Europe, then we must step up our efforts against IS.”

“Hungary is prepared to do so, and therefore our contingent of 110 soldiers, who are already in Kurdistan, will from now on take part in training Kurdish Peshmerga fighters alongside their security and protection tasks.

“If we cannot find a fast solution to pushing back IS, we must expect that migration pressure on Europe’s borders will remain, as one of its causes is IS gaining territory.”

NEW YORK – The United Nations Secretary General has condemned the Hungarian government’s treatment of refugees on its southern border, arguing that the use of teargas, pepper spray and water cannon on people fleeing war and hardship is not acceptable.

Hungary sparked outrage from the international community on Wednesday after firing gas canisters and spraying water at crowds of frustrated refugees who had briefly broken through a border gate in protest at being prevented from crossing from Serbia.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon said, “I was shocked to see how these refugees and migrants were treated. It’s not acceptable … since they are people who are fleeing violence and persecution, we must ensure our compassionate leadership.”

Hungary has portrayed its reaction as a legitimate response to an invasion, claiming without giving further details that a known terrorist was among one of the 29 people arrested during the clashes on Wednesday. In response, Serbian politicians condemned what they saw as an infringement of Serbian sovereignty.

Serbia’s prime minister accused Hungary of brutal and non-European behaviour and urged the EU to respond.

“We will not allow anyone to humiliate us. I call on the European Union to react, for its members to behave in line with European values,” Aleksandar Vučić told Serbian state television. “If the EU does not react, we will find a way to protect our borders and European values as well,” he said.

Tensions boiled over after thousands of refugees fleeing wars in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan began arriving at the Horgoš border crossing between Serbia and Hungary in the hours after Budapest finally sealed it following months of threats to do so.