UN Warns of Possible Massacre in Shiite Town in Northern Iraq

BAGHDAD – The United Nations secretary-general’s special representative for Iraq on Saturday called for “immediate measures” to avoid the possible massacre of civilians in the town of Amerli, under siege by Sunni militants for two months.

In a statement, Nickolay Mladenov expressed alarm over reports of the “inhuman conditions” being endured by the roughly 18,000 inhabitants of that northern Iraqi town, mainly members of the Shiite Turkmen community.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant considers Shiites, who are the majority in Iraq, to be heretics.

“The situation of the people in Amerli is desperate and demands immediate action to prevent the possible massacre of its citizens,” Mladenov said.

Surrounded by towns and villages already captured by ISIL, Amerli, located 180 kilometers (110 miles) north of Baghdad, is cut off from supplies of food and water.

The envoy urged the Iraqi government to “do all it can” to ensure that Amerli’s residents receive “lifesaving” humanitarian aid or are “evacuated in a dignified manner.”

“Iraq’s allies and the international community should work with the authorities to prevent a human rights tragedy,” he said.

Earlier this month, the United States launched airstrikes to halt the advance of ISIL and facilitate the evacuation of and delivery of aid to a group of Yazidis, who practice an ancient religion that the jihadist group also considers heretical.

Thousands of Yazidis were stranded on a mountain after ISIL drove them from their homes in the northern town of Sinjar, but most were able to flee to safety thanks to the U.S. intervention.

Iraq has been wracked by an armed conflict with sectarian overtones since June, when Sunni insurgents led by ISIL launched an offensive in northern Iraq.

The militants captured Mosul, Iraq’s second city, and have proclaimed a caliphate in the parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria under their control, prompting the mobilization of numerous Shiite militias.

Shiite militiamen opened fire in an Iraqi Sunni mosque during Friday prayers in the eastern province of Diyala, killing some 70 worshippers.

The United Nations condemned the attack and expressed concern about the “impact such acts of sectarian violence will have ... on the political process aimed at establishing a unified government capable of confronting the threat” posed by ISIL.