Local Editor

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday slammed "brutal killings of civilians" by the so-called "Islamic State" [IS] extremists in northern
Iraq, saying the "radical group was tearing apart whole communities."

The UN human rights chief earlier this week accused the group of "ethnic and religious cleansing" in Iraq, saying "their reign of terror against non-Arab ethnic groups and non-Sunni Muslims involved targeted killings, forced conversions and abductions."

Ban added his voice to the growing concerns, telling a United Nations conference on the Indonesian resort island of Bali: "All major faiths value peace and tolerance."

"That is why I am especially outraged by the reports from Iraq of brutal killings of civilians by ISIL," he added, using the old name for the so-called "Islamic State" [IS].
Ban further added: "Whole communities that had lived for generations in northern Iraq are being forced to flee or face death just for their religious beliefs."
Ban said that communities should not be threatened simply because of "who they are and what they believe".

In her comments earlier this week, UN rights chief Navi Pillay said that persecution of minority groups in Iraq by "IS" amounted to crimes against humanity.

She said that minority groups targeted include Christians, Yazidi, Shabaks, Turkomen, Kakae and Sabaeans.
After occupying parts of Syria, the extremists took over swathes of Iraq with a lightning offensive in June, sparking widespread international alarm.

"IS" has also been accused of atrocities in Syria, with a UN probe this week charging that public executions, amputations, lashings and mock crucifixions were a regular fixture in terrorists-controlled parts of the country.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team