IS group kills 15,000civilians in 16 months

UN report details gross human rights abuses by IS against those opposed to its ideology

The conflict in Iraq has taken a terrible toll on civilians, with nearly 15,000 killed and 30,000 wounded by the Islamic State group, Iraqi security forces and others during a 16-month period ending on April 30, according to a report released by the United Nations on Monday.

The UN mission in Iraq and the UN human rights office said in the report that violations of international humanitarian law and gross human rights abuses by the Islamic State group, which controls large areas of Iraq's north and west, may in some cases amount to war crimes, crimes against humanity and possibly genocide.