The town of Amirli has been under siege by armed groups affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for some weeks, according to a senior humanitarian official in the country.

Amirli, which is about 175 kilometres north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, is home to between 15 and 20,000 people, mainly Shia Turkmen.

They live under the constant threat of the Islamist militants who have been attacking members of ethnic and religious minorities in the country.

Kieran Dwyer, Spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Iraq spoke with Reem Abaza about the plight of the besieged people of Amirli.

Duration: 4’56”