[JURIST] The US State Department [official website] said [press briefing, text] Monday that the US and Turkey have agreed to establish a ‘safe zone’ for Syrian refugees fleeing the Islamic State (IS) [JURIST backgrounder] by. The State Department’s spokesperson, John Kirby, answered questions saying that the US will continue to discuss with the Turkish government, “how to better cooperate along that border against ISIL.” While he stated that he does not know what the agreement will entail he stated that the US is “cognizant of the fact that 2 million…refugees are in Turkey” and that Turkey has a heavy load to bear. Kirby was wary of the term “ISIL Free Zone,” stating that “we want to hit them [ISIL] wherever they are,” he acknowledged that their efforts are being focused on the northern border of Syria. He said that a ‘no-fly zone’ has not been imposed and is not “under active consideration.” Kirby declined to speak to the military aspect of such an agreement.

The Islamic State has caused increasing international alarm over its human rights abuses [JURIST report] since its insurgence into Syria and Iraq in 2013. Last month, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee [official website] said Monday that extremist groups’ destruction of antiquities and heritage sites in conflict zones could amount to war crimes [JURIST report].In March the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] reported that the actions of IS in Iraq may amount to genocide [JURIST report], crimes against humanity and war crimes. Also in March the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the OHCHR jointly released [JURIST report] a report detailing violations against Iraqi civilians under the spread of IS. Bensouda stated in November that the ICC was contemplating bringing war crimes charges against IS jihadist fighters, but said last week that her office lacks jurisdiction [JURIST report] to open a formal investigation into the group. In February IS led suicide bombings in eastern Libya, killing [JURIST report] at least 40 people and injuring 70 more. UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported in December that the IS executed [JURIST report] 1,878 people in Syria between June and December 2014.