300 Yazidi captives killed in Iraq by Isis militants

A statement from the Yazidi Progress Party, quoted on Shafaq News, has said that Isis (also known as Islamic State) killed 300 captives late on Friday in the Tal Afar district, west of Mosul.

Around 50,000 Yazidis fled to the mountains outside Sinjar during the capturing of the Iraqi city near the Syrian border in 2014. Hundreds were taken captive by the group and some women were reported by international rights groups as having been taken into slavery and raped.

Isis have meanwhile claimed responsibility for two car bombs which exploded around ten minutes apart late on Saturday in the Karrada district. The group said the attack was targeting a Shiite Militia.

Police have said the dead and wounded included mostly shoppers and people commemorating the birth of Imam Ali, a key figure in Shiite Islam.

Iraqi Vice-President Osama al-Nujaifi described the most recent Yazidi reported deaths as "horrific and barbaric”.

A Kurdistan Democratic Party official said: "Women, children and elderly people are confirmed among the victims. IS gathered them in one place and shot them all together.”

The Yazidis, who are followers of an ancient religion which includes elements of other faiths, have been targeted by Isis as they are viewed as infidels.

(independent.co.uk)