The US says the Islamic State (ISIS) group has committed genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims.
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday said the United States has declared that ISIS committed genocide in Iraq and Syria against Christians, Yazidis and other ethnic minorities.
Kerry spoke from the State Department and said ISIS is guilty of “crimes against humanity.”
“In my judgment, Daesh is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control, including Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims,” the secretary of State said, using the Arabic name for Isis.
He said he had based his decision on the many accounts gathered by the state department, intelligence service and other sources in recent months.
But he said a lack of access to ISIS areas meant it was difficult to get a complete picture of the atrocities.
He said the “full facts” must be sought, and said the US would “strongly support” efforts to collect evidence of ISIS atrocities and brings those responsible to account.
This declaration comes after the US House of Representatives voted 393-0 on a nonbinding resolution calling the atrocities committed by ISIS genocide. It is the first time the US has declared genocide since Darfur in 2004, according to CNN.