The UN's human rights chief has condemned Islamic State (IS) militants for their campaign of "ethnic and religious cleansing" in Iraq.
In an August 25 statement, Navi Pillay said the "appalling" crimes being committed by Islamic State forces include killings, slavery, sexual offenses, and targeting people on ethnic or religious grounds.
Pillay said violations documented by UN investigators would amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes.
She said Christians, Yazidis, and Turkomans are among those targeted.
In one instance documented by UN rights workers, up to 670 prisoners from Badush prison in Mosul were killed by Islamic State on June 10 after being taken to a remote area and screened for non-Sunnis.
Pillay called on the Iraqi government and the international community to protect vulnerable ethnic and religious communities, highlighting the plight of at least 13,000 Shi'a Turkomans in Salahuddin Province besieged by IS forces since mid-June.
