Rights group Amnesty International says Islamic State militants in northern Iraq have carried out "ethnic cleansing on a historic scale" in a bid to wipe out non-Arabs and non-Sunni Muslims.
A new report Tuesday says the systematic campaign includes mass killings and abductions that have terrorized all of northern Iraq and is fueling sectarian tensions in the region.
Amnesty is calling for protection and humanitarian support for Iraq's minorities who have been displaced by months of fighting.
The report comes a day after the United Nations issued a similar warning about minority persecution at the hands of the Islamic State group. The U.N. Human Rights Council also decided to send a mission to Iraq to investigate abuses.
Iraqi troops backed by Kurdish fighters and Shi'ite militiamen recaptured the town of Sulaiman Bek, south of Kirkuk, on Monday, marking the second town to be freed from Islamic State fighters in as many days.
Sulaiman Bek had been controlled by the militants since June.
On Sunday, Iraqi forces entered Amerli, ending a two-month siege by the Islamic State.
Outgoing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki visited Amerli on Monday, where he vowed Iraq will be a "graveyard" for the militant group.
Also Monday, British Prime Minister David Cameron told his parliament that Britain needs new laws to deal with the threat posed by the Islamic State and British nationals who are fighting with the group.
He proposed letting police seize the passports of British citizens suspected of having traveled overseas to fight with terror groups. He said it is believed that 500 people have left Britain to fight in Iraq and Syria.
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