UN Warns of 'Full-throttle Sectarian Violence' in Iraq

[SocalDinar]

UN Warns of 'Full-throttle Sectarian Violence' in Iraq

Witnesses say a government-affiliated Shi'ite militia that helped the army recapture Fallujah from ISIS abducted more than 600 Sunni Muslim men and boys.

Stephanie Nebehay Jul 05, 2016 7:35 PM
 

 

REUTERS - The top UN human rights official called on Iraq on Tuesday to stop groups that are fighting alongside government forces against ISIS from taking revenge on civilians and to clarify the fate of hundreds who went missing.

Witnesses say a government-affiliated Shi'ite militia that helped the army recapture Fallujah from ISIS in early June abducted more than 600 Sunni Muslim men and boys who had just fled the city.

The disappearances, along with one of the worst single bombings in Iraq to date in Baghdad on Saturday "increase the likelihood of a renewed cycle of full-throttle sectarian violence," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack late on Saturday in a busy shopping district. At least 175 people were killed.

Zeid said there was a list of 643 missing men and boys, as well as of 49 others believed to have been summarily executed or tortured to death while in the initial custody of Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia, after Fallujah was re-taken. Tribal leaders believe another 200 are unaccounted for.

"This appears to be the worst - but far from the first - such incident involving unofficial militias fighting alongside Government forces against ISIS"," Zeid said.

He noted that the government was investigating the disappearances and urged it to prevent further incidents and to bring those responsible to justice.

The UN has previously called on the Iraqi government to ensure accountability over allegations of abuse. Several military personnel have been arrested.

"When they asked for water or food or air, they were abused by militia members, told that their treatment was 'revenge for Camp Speicher,' and beaten with shovels, sticks, and pipes," Zeid said, referring to the UN-documented killing of 1,700 cadets by ISIS in June 2014.

Witnesses said at least four men were beheaded, others were handcuffed and beaten to death, and the bodies of at least two men were set on fire, Zeid wrote.

People who escape from Islamic State should be treated with sympathy and respect, he said.

"There must be an understanding that most of the male inhabitants of these cities are not willing members of ISIS, nor do they necessarily have anything to do with them at all beyond doing what is necessary to stay alive," he said.  

http://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/1.729136

 

[SocalDinar]

UN blames Iraq pro-government militia for kidnappings, beheadings

Militias in Iraq have been accused of numerous human rights abuses [AFP]

Date of publication: 5 July, 2016

https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2016/7/5/un-blames-iraq-pro-government-militia-for-kidnappings-beheadings

 

 

 

 

A Shia militia that fought alongside Iraqi forces against the Islamic State group (IS) may have kidnapped 900 civilians and executed at least 50, some by beheadings and torture, the UN said on Tuesday.

The initial phase of Iraq's vast offensive to retake the city of Fallujah from IS was supported by several Shia militia, which raised fears of reprisals against the area's Sunni Muslim population.

UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said there was strong evidence that one group, Ketaeb Hizballah, perpetrated atrocities after telling civilians that they were there to help.

"This appears to be the worst - but far from the first - such incident involving unofficial militias fighting alongside government forces," Zeid said in a statement.

He warned that with Iraq preparing another offensive against IS in their northern bastion Mosul, more Sunni civilians could face horrific violence as retribution for the crimes of IS, a Sunni militant group.

Ketaeb Hizballah fighters approached the village of Saqlawiyah near Fallujah - which lies only 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad - on June 1, Zeid's office said in a statement, citing witness testimony.

Some 8,000 civilians spotted the fighters as they were leaving Saqlawiyah amid the assault on IS.

The militia members "hailed them with loudspeakers, saying the villagers had nothing to fear from them," according to the rights office.

"Witnesses said that hidden behind the Iraqi flags they saw the flags of a militia called Ketaeb Hizballah," the UN statement added.
 

According to witnesses, those who asked for water were dragged outside and shot, strangled, or severely beaten. -UN

Women and children were sent to a displaced persons camp while men and teenage boys were taken to a series of locations.

According to witnesses, those who asked for water "were dragged outside and shot, strangled, or severely beaten," the UN said.

The abducted males were separated on June 5, with 605 men and boys taken to the displaced persons camp.

The whereabouts of a second group, with an estimated 900 people, is "unknown," according to Zeid.

The rights chief said locals made a list of 643 missing men and boys and "49 others believed to have been summarily executed or tortured to death while in the initial custody of Ketaeb Hizballah."

Locals said 200 additional abductees have not been accounted for.

Women in the displaced persons camp at Amriyat al-Fallujah told AFP last month that their sons, husbands and nephews were missing.

Zeid's spokesman Rupert Colville said Iraq's government had launched an investigation but had no details on its progress.

"People who escape from (IS) should be treated with sympathy and respect, not tortured and killed simply on the basis of their gender and where they had the misfortune to be living when (IS) arrived," Zeid said in the statement.

 

[SocalDinar]

UN blames Iraq Shia militia for abductions and beheadings in Fallujah

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/un-blames-iraq-pro-govt-militia-kidnappings-beheadings-1378232626

Rights chief says Kataeb Hezbollah may have kidnapped 900 civilians and executed at least 50, some by beheading, in battle for Fallujah

Masked members of Iraq's Shia militia, Ketaeb Hezbollah, hold their weapons as their convoy arrive in Baghdad's Karada district (AFP)

MEE and agencies

Tuesday 5 July 2016 14:59 UTC

Last update: 

Tuesday 5 July 2016 15:43 UTC

A Shia militia that fought alongside Iraqi forces against the Islamic State group (IS) in Fallujah may have kidnapped 900 civilians and executed at least 50, some by beheadings and torture, the UN said on Tuesday.

The initial phase of Iraq's vast offensive to retake the city from IS was supported by several Shia militia, which raised fears of reprisals against the area's Sunni Muslim population.

UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said there was strong evidence that one group, Kataeb Hezbollah, perpetrated atrocities after telling civilians that they were there to help.

"This appears to be the worst – but far from the first – such incident involving unofficial militias fighting alongside government forces," the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said in statement.

He warned that with Iraq preparing another offensive against IS in their northern bastion Mosul, more Sunni civilians could face horrific violence as retribution for the crimes of IS, a Sunni militant group.

900 missing or killed

Kataeb Hezbollah fighters approached the village of Saqlawiyah near Fallujah, 50km west of Baghdad, on 1 June, Zeid's office said in a statement, citing evidence of witnesses.

Villagers spotted the fighters as they were leaving Saqlawiyah amid the assault on IS.

The militia members "hailed them with loudspeakers, saying the villagers had nothing to fear from them," according to the rights office.

"Witnesses said that hidden behind the Iraqi flags they saw the flags of a militia called Kataeb Hezbollah," the UN statement added.

Women and children were sent to a displaced persons camp while men and teenage boys were taken to a series of locations.

According to witnesses, those who asked for water "were dragged outside and shot, strangled, or severely beaten," the UN said.

The abducted males were separated on 5 June, and 605 men and boys taken to a refugee camp.

The whereabouts of a second group, with an estimated 900 people, was "unknown", according to Zeid.

The rights chief said locals made a list of 643 missing men and boys and "49 others believed to have been summarily executed or tortured to death while in the initial custody of Kataeb Hezbollah."

Locals said an additional 200 people have not been accounted for.

Women in the refugee camp at Amriyat al-Fallujah told AFP last month that their sons, husbands and nephews were missing.

Zeid spokesman Rupert Colville said Iraq's government had launched an investigation but had no details on its progress.

"People who escape from (IS) should be treated with sympathy and respect, not tortured and killed simply on the basis of their gender and where they had the misfortune to be living when (IS) arrived," Zeid said in the statement.

One Fallujah resident told Associated Press that he believed there was no will on the part of the government to engage with Sunnis in Fallujah.

The government in Baghdad "believes that Fallujah is the centre of terrorism in Iraq," said Sheikh Hadi Muhamed Abdullah.

"But for us it's the centre of resistance. The resistance started as pure, but others like Daesh [IS] corrupted it."

[WheresmyRV?]

What a mess it is over there!  

[SocalDinar]

4 minutes ago, WheresmyRV? said:

What a mess it is over there!  

I agree WheresmyRV. Things seemed so much better over there when i first got into this so many years ago.

Edited July 5, 2016 by SocalDinar

[boosterbglee]

They just flat hate each other, they have been hating for thousands of years....there is nothing we can do! 

[millionaire in training]

13 minutes ago, WheresmyRV? said:

What a mess it is over there!  

As I was reading  I was thinking the same thing....What a mess.   

Im shocked by how evil they are.  

[Gypsygirl11]

Sickening!!!!!

[WheresmyRV?]

They will fight for another thousand more years sad to say.

By the way Social I like your avatar! Lol!

[millionaire in training]

18 minutes ago, WheresmyRV? said:

They will fight for another thousand more years sad to say.

 

Yea , but after the rv they'll be better dressed for battle.....  

[KDuesing]

But we keep sending them money and postponing there debts.

[sandfly]

One day 

[TennesseeCherokee]

All this evil has Maliki and Company stamped all over it.

[Laid Back]

Sectarian violence in Iraq is a recurring issue throughout the history of the region, since the modern borders of Iraq were mostly demarcated in 1920 by the League of Nations. The country, as established, was immediately home to a variety of religious and cultural groups that have clashed as power has ebbed back and forth between them.

Go Wikipedia 

Go knowledge 

[mylilpony]

The 1923 sykes picot agreement is what cause alot of this, and that is what barzani was trying to get across to everyone and that is the borders need to go back to what they were. Talabani has a map that shows the original borders that dates 1967 and presented it to parliament in 2012 shortly before he had his stroke while meeting  with maliki. That would have settled the article 140 issues. I have always thought in my heart that maliki poisoned Talabani. 

[ametad]

They need to fight through this, let the casualties as they may be. Once Iraq is simply Sunni's, Shiite's and Kurds bickering on the verge of civial war and standing as one single Iraq that's all we need. That unified, almost imploding Iraq is the perfect place to see monetary reform as an attempt to reunite and rebuild Iraq. 

Right now they are unified against a single enemy, IS. So, if they can all agree for a decade or so (even just a year) rebuilding the country after they are free of IS there is a chance this all might work out for those physically holding the IQD.

They must liberate Mosul. It's going to be very messy. And on the other side hopefully revaluing their IQD is part of the plan to rebuild the country.