Large parts of the Yazidi population of northwestern Iraq have taken refuge in Iraqi Kurdistan. They live in unfinished buildings, refugee camps or under bridges. In the beginning of August 2014 the Yazidis fled their homes because the Sunni extremist group Islamic State attacked the areas they lived. Since then local Iraqi sources have registrered numerous massacres of Yazidis. The United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for human rights Ivan Simonovic stated in October 2014 that evidence indicates that actions against the Yazidis may amount to attempted genocide.
