Islamic State has killed 300 hundred Yazidi captives in Iraq west of Mosul. A statement from the Yazidi Progress Party said 300 captives were killed on Friday in the Tal Afar district.
Iraqi Vice-President Osama al-Nujaifi described the reported deaths as "horrific and barbaric".
These were from the thousands of members of the religious minority group that were captured last year. The Yazidi religion includes elements of several faiths, and is considered infidel by IS. Hundreds of men were killed, and some Yazidi women are being held and used as sex slaves. In January, IS released some 200 mainly elderly Yazidis into the hands of Kurdish officials near the city of Kirkuk.
Many of them, held in Mosul, had disabilities or were wounded.
Who are the Yazidis?
Yazidis revere the Bible and Koran - but much of their tradition is oral
Religious sect found in northern Iraq, Syria and the Caucasus
Religion incorporates elements of many faiths, including Zoroastrianism
Principal divine figure, Malak Taus (Peacock Angel), is the supreme angel of the seven angels who ruled the universe after it was created by God.There are estimated to be around 500,000 Yazidis worldwide, most living in Iraq's Nineveh plains. In August 2007 jihadists attacked Yazidi villages in Nineveh, killing between 400 and 700 people. (Edited from BBC)
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