Iraqi forces 'kill civilians accused of having Isis ties'

Fighting has been raging in Mosul, Iraq
REUTERS
Michael Howie10 November 2016

Iraqi government forces killed and tortured civilians suspected of having ties to Islamic State during the operation to liberate Mosul, Amnesty International claimed today.

The human rights group said “up to six” people, suspected by security forces of links to the terrorists who seized a third of Iraqi territory in 2014, were found dead last month in the Shura and Qayyara districts.

In a report, Amnesty described several incidents on or around October 21 in which groups of men were beaten before being shot dead. In one case, a man’s head was cut off, it said.

The group said the alleged abuses risked being repeated in other towns and villages as the Mosul offensive continues.

“Men in federal police uniform have carried out multiple unlawful killings, apprehending and then deliberately killing in cold blood residents in villages south of Mosul,” said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty’s Beirut office.

Human Rights Watch said at least 37 men suspected of being affiliated with IS had been detained by Iraqi and Kurdish forces around Mosul and Hawija, further south.

Relatives said they did not know where most of the men were being held and had not been able to contact them, according to the report. HRW said such conduct “significantly increases the risk of other violations”.

The Iraqi interior ministry denied there had been any violations and said Iraqi forces respect human rights and international law.

Iraq’s federal police could not be reached for comment. The Kurdish regional government denied the HRW report, saying any delays in informing families were limited and due to scarce resources.

“Nobody has been kept in unknown facilities. They are kept in identified facilities,” a spokesman said.

The Mosul operation, involving a 100,000-strong alliance of troops, security forces, Kurdish peshmerga and Shia militias and backed by US-led air strikes, has entered its fourth week.

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