US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Islamic State (IS) has been committing genocide against Yazidis, Christians and Shiite Muslims in Syria and Iraq on Thursday.
In a televised address Mr Kerry said the militant group “is genocidal by self proclamation, by ideology and by actions”.
"The fact is Daesh kills Christians because they are Christians, Yazidis because they are Yazidis, Shias because they are Shias," he said, adding that "we will all we can to see that the perpetrators are held accountable."
Though State Department spokesman Mark Toner had already stated the usage of the term ‘genocide’ "would not necessarily result in any particular legal obligation for the United States," the move represents a significant moment nonetheless.
Mr Kerry’s declaration marks only the second time the executive branch of the US has used the term ‘genocide’ to describe atrocities committed during an ongoing conflict.
It comes after the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution on Monday calling the atrocities committed by the Islamic State against Christians a “genocide”.
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry told VOA:
“When there is a systematic attempt to exterminate another group of people, it’s not only an injustice, it’s an assault on human dignity and therefore a threat to the civilization itself.”
See our earlier post: US House of Representatives labels IS violence a genocide (16 Mar 2016)