The Mercury News Weekend

Iraqi forces rooting out militants

Advance into Mosul slows as soldiers clear neighborho­ods

- By Brian Rohan and Qassim Abdul Zahra

BAGHDAD — Iraqi troops fired at positions held by the Islamic State group in and around the northern city of Mosul on Thursday but did not advance as they regrouped and cleared neighborho­ods once occupied by the extremists, military officials said.

Troops are screening residents fleeing from Mosul, searching for any IS militants trying to sneak out among the more than 34,000 civilians fleeing to displaceme­nt camps and host communitie­s in nearby provinces.

Amnesty Internatio­nal reported allegation­s against security forces of arbitrary detention, forced disappeara­nces and ill-treatment of prisoners, including an account that up to six people were “extrajudic­ially ex- ecuted” in late October over suspected ties to IS. The London-based rights organizati­on said the alleged killings took place near the area of Shura and Qayara outside Mosul, and it urged the government to investigat­e.

“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.

“In some cases the resi- dents were tortured before they were shot dead execution-style,” she said, adding that it was “crucial” for Iraqi authoritie­s to bring those responsibl­e to justice.

“Without effective measures to suppress and punish serious violations, there is a real risk that we could see war crimes of this kind repeated in other Iraqi villages and towns during the Mosul offensive,” Maalouf added.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi denied the report, calling it “incorrect informatio­n,” and saying in a statement that IS fighters were the ones responsibl­e for the killing of civilians.

Since the offensive to retake Iraq’s second-largest city began Oct. 17, the Shiite-led government has tried to prevent revenge attacks against the mainly Sunni residents of Mosul and surroundin­g areas. Statesanct­ioned Shiite militias and Kurdish forces say they won’t enter the city, and the government has vowed to investigat­e any human rights violations and hold people accountabl­e.

In late October, an Iraqi manning a checkpoint south of Mosul with soldiers, Federal Police and local militiamen told The Associated Press that he personally killed two men he said he knew to be IS militants because he saw them commit crimes.

A group of soldiers at the checkpoint also told AP they had heard reports of suspected IS fighters being beaten and killed by security forces. One private said the alleged abuses were supposedly carried out by local tribal and militia fighters in apparent revenge attacks.

 ?? ODD ANDERSEN/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES ?? An Iraqi woman who fled fighting in Mosul waits near a checkpoint for a ride to a refugee camp.
ODD ANDERSEN/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIA GETTY IMAGES An Iraqi woman who fled fighting in Mosul waits near a checkpoint for a ride to a refugee camp.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States