Baghdad  - A man belonging to the minority Yezidi religious sect was killed in northern Iraq, the Voices of Iraq agency reported Wednesday.

The body of the man was found in a field in the northern province of Nineveh, an area where in recent years numerous Christians and members of other religious minorities in Iraq had been killed by Islamic extremists.

The Al-Qaeda regards the Yezidis, who are Muslims, as heretics, with members of the religious group being subject to repression and discrimination. Many Yezidis have fled Iraq to find refuge in other countries, including Germany. (dpa)