UN panel says Yazidi genocide 'ongoing,' appeals for help

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — The Islamic State group is still committing genocide and other crimes against the Yazidi minority in Iraq, a United Nations commission investigating human rights abuses in Syria said on Wednesday.

Iraq's Yazidi community - a small and isolated religious minority that combines elements of Islam, Zoroastrianism and Christianity - has been repeatedly persecuted by successive governments and invading armies.

The IS attack on Sinjar in August of 2014 in part prompted the U.S.-led coalition to begin launching airstrikes against IS in Iraq and initiate a broader fight against the militant group in Iraq and Syria.

In March, the Obama administration formally concluded IS group is committing genocide against Yazidis as well as other minority groups, including Christians and Shiite Muslims.