TEMPO.CO, Baghdad - Iraq's Shia leaders have accused Saudi Arabia of backing the genocide of Shia believers by militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and supporting the group morally and financially.

Iraqi officials said the crimes committed by ISIS may qualify as genocide: the spilling of Iraqi blood, the destruction of Iraqi state institutions and historic and religious sites.

Riyadh denied the accusation and said that sectarianism in Iraq was the one fuelling the violence.

In an attempt to abate tensions, Iraq’s Shia Prime Minister, Nouri al Maliki, made a joint statement with Sunni and Kurdish leaders, calling for citizens to put aside their differences and unit as Iraqis in facing the militants.

Clashes over night in Baquba, less than 40 kilometers from Baghdad, have killed 44 prisoners in a police station after insurgents attempted to break into the prison.

Militant assaults have caused Iraq's biggest oil refinery at Baiji to shut down, threatening power and water supplies.

UN Secretary, General Ban Ki-moon, warned there was a "real risk" of sectarian violence on a "massive scale" as a result of the conflict. In responding to the crisis, US President Barack Obama announced on Monday that he would deploy 275 soldiers to Iraq to secure the US embassy in Baghdad and its staff. White House has also considered sending special troops to train Iraq's troops.

SKY NEWS | INDAH P