The Islamic State is perpetrating 'war crimes or crimes against humanity' in Iraq

Militants of the Islamic State have performed heinous and horrifying acts across Iraq since they began their offensive in the country in early 2014.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The Islamic State have performed mass executions, abducted women and girls as sex slaves and prostitutes, used children as soldiers, and performed other crimes that the United Nations say must be prosecuted.

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In a report that had interviews from 500 witnesses, the air strikes from the Iraqi government have also caused "significant civilian deaths" by hitting targets that have large civilian numbers like villages, schools and hospital-a violation of international law.

As of September, 9,347 civilians have been killed and 17,386 have been wounded since the Islamic State began their conquest of Iraq in early June.

"The array of violations and abuses perpetrated by ISIL and associated armed groups is staggering, and many of their acts may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity," said the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein.

Hussein called for the government to join the International Criminal Court, so that it will stop targeting regions based on religious or ethnic makeup.

The Islamic State has so far committed various crimes against different groups like Christians, Yazidis and Shia Muslims, causing 1.8 million Iraqis to flee their homes, a U.N. Human Rights Office report revealed.

"These include attacks directly targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure, executions and other targeted killings of civilians, abductions, rape and other forms of sexual and physical violence perpetrated against women and children, forced recruitment of children, destruction or desecration of places of religious or cultural significance, wanton destruction and looting of property, and denial of fundamental freedoms."

On June 12, roughly 1,500 Iraqi soldiers and security officers in Salahuddin province were captured and then executed by the Islamic State. Currently the bodies have not been dug up, and the precise death toll is not known.

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