Amnesty says Islamic State group decimated rural Iraq

Amnesty International says the Islamic State group's deliberate destruction of agriculture in northern Iraq has hindered the return of hundreds of thousands of residents.

The New York-based rights group issued a new report on Thursday, saying IS fighters burnt or chopped down orchards, sabotaged wells and stole or destroyed vital farming equipment.

The extremists seized control of much of northern Iraq in the summer of 2014. U.S.-backed Iraqi forces gradually drove the militants from all the territory under their control, declaring victory a year ago.

Amnesty is calling on the Iraqi government to repair rural infrastructure and compensate the displaced so they can return to their homes. It warns that the failure to address rural poverty could allow the extremist group to stage a comeback.