Hillary Clinton says Islamic State's killing of various groups of minorities should now be considered a 'genocide.'

The Democratic frontrunner for President made the claim at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire where all the Democratic candidates are campaigning.

Clinton was asked, "Will you join those leaders, faith leaders and secular leaders and political leaders from both the right and the left, in calling what is happening by its proper name, genocide?"

The former New York Senator and Secretary of State responded by saying, "I will because we now have enough evidence."

There have been increasing calls to acknowledge the seriousness of the persecution of Christians, as well as Yazidis and other Muslim groups who do not conform to the strict interpretation of Sunni Islam practiced by ISIS, or Daesh.

Using the word genocide is significant in that it has implications in international law. It also puts the actions of ISIS on a par with some of the most horrendous crimes committed in history. It has little practical implication at this stage, but shows the severity of the violence of ISIS.

Mrs Clinton went on to say ISIS was carrying out atrocities, "deliberately aimed at destroying not only the lives, but wiping out the existence of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East in territory controlled by ISIS."

The Pope is among those who have already used the word genocide in response to the continued deprevations ISIS is visiting on the parts of Syria and Iraq it controls.

The response to ISIS and the wider Syrian civil war has become a key topic in the Democratic nomination campaign. Deciding how best to respond has also been a source of some of the most deep divisions among the Republican candidates.