UN: At least 1,119 Iraqis killed in September

The United Nations said Wednesday that at least 1,119 Iraqis died in violence in September but that the real figure was likely much higher since the reported death toll did not include killings in areas controlled by the Islamic State group. Iraq has been facing an unprecedented crisis — the worst since the withdrawal of US troops in 2011 — after the Sunni extremist group seized a third of the country in a lightning offensive over the summer. The onslaught by the Islamic State fighters stunned Iraq's US-trained army and security forces, which melted away as the extremists advanced and captured key cities and towns. The militants have also targeted Iraq's religious minorities, including Christians and others, killing hundreds and forcing hundreds of thousands to leave their homes. The Islamic State militants captured roughly a third of Iraq and much of eastern Syria, declaring a self-styled caliphate in the territory straddling the Iraqi-Syria border and imposing their own harsh interpretation of Islamic Sharia law, according to AP.