UN warns of possible massacre in IS-besieged Iraqi town

The United Nations has warned of a possible massacre in the northern Iraqi town of Amerli, which has been under the siege of IS militants for more than two months.

According to the BBC, special representative Nickolay Mladenov says he is "seriously alarmed" by reports regarding the conditions in which the town's residents live.

The people of the town have no access to electricity or drinking water, and are running out of food and medical supplies.

The people living in Amerli say they have been resisting the militants on their own and have received no foreign aid since the siege began.

Dr Ali Albayati, an Amerli resident said that people did not have enough food because the city was under siege and there was no way to leave.

He urged the Iraqi government to do all it can to relieve the siege and to ensure that the residents receive life-saving humanitarian assistance or are evacuated in a dignified manner, the report said.

A majority of Amerli's residents, who happen to be Turkmen Shia, are seen as apostates by IS.

An estimated 1.3 million people have been displaced in Iraq since the IS campaign began.

The IS jihadists have demanded that Christians and Yazidis convert to Islam or face death.