This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The UN human rights council is to debate demands for an emergency mission to Iraq to investigate alleged atrocities committed by Islamic State (Isis) militants, which may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The special session, scheduled to begin on Monday morning, was requested by Iraq and backed by Iran and the US as well as blocs including the Arab Group and the EU.

Diplomats from the council's 47 member states are to discuss a draft resolution strongly condemning alleged systematic violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law resulting from the terrorist acts committed by Isis and associated groups.

The militants, who occupy parts of Syria, launched an offensive in Iraq in June and rapidly seized much of its Sunni heartland, declaring a caliphate in a region straddling the conflict-stricken countries.

Their actions in several Iraqi provinces could amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, according to the draft resolution, which condemned "all violence against persons based on their religious or ethnic affiliation as well as violence against women and children".

The draft resolution calls on the office of the UN's new high commissioner for human rights, Prince Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein of Jordan, to dispatch investigators to Iraq to look into abuses carried out by the group that included the filmed beheading of US journalist James Foley.

Among these alleged atrocities are "unlawful killing, deliberate targeting of civilians, forced conversions, targeted persecution of individuals on the basis of their religion or belief (and) acts of violence against members of ethnic and religious minorities".

The investigators would be required to give an update to the human rights council at its next regular session, which starts next week.

A full report would be expected at the council's most important annual session, scheduled for February and March.

More than 1.6 million people have been displaced this year by violence in Iraq, with 850,000 fleeing their homes in August, according to the UN.