Human Rights Watch on Thursday condemned videos circulating on social media purportedly showing Iraqi forces killing and beating suspected Islamic State (IS) fighters in Mosul.
Two videos were posted to Facebook earlier this week, a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared “total victory” in Mosul.
A spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said he had not seen the videos, but that such incidents would not be tolerated.
Brigadier General Mohammed al-Khudhari said by telephone from Baghdad that soldiers have “very clear instructions and guidance” to hand over suspected Islamic State group members for interrogation, “then to be sent to the court for trial.”
He said any soldiers committing violations would be tried in a military court.
Brigadier General Saad Maan, a spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, said officials were aware of such images and that an investigation had been launched.
“We looked and suspended a number of those forces shown in those pictures and there is currently an investigation being conducted,” he told Pentagon reporters by video conference, using an interpreter.
He added that “there might be some misbehavior or inappropriate conduct by some of the forces, yes, but the investigation is going on. We are against any violation against any human being and this is the position of the government.”
In one of the videos, soldiers are seen shouting at, kicking and beating several men — apparently captured Islamic State fighters — in a room. One man’s shirt is splattered with fresh blood. Several are dragged out of the room.
“Is this one with DAESH or not?” one soldier is heard saying, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group and shouting at a man cowering in a corner.
The man is dragged outside and the camera follows.
The soldiers carry the man to the edge of a high wall overlooking the Tigris River. There, soldiers are shooting the bodies of two men who had already been thrown to the ground below. The soldiers throw the other man over the edge, then fire bullets into his body as well.
In the background, other soldiers are seen opening fire on a fourth man sprawled on the ground.
Human Rights Watch Iraq researcher Belkis Wille said that “these horrific reports of mistreatment and murder have been met by silence from Baghdad, only further fostering the feeling of impunity among armed forces in Mosul.”
Iraqi forces recaptured Mosul after the city was held for about three years by the Islamic State group.
The militants were notorious for atrocities, both against civilians and security forces, often hunting down anyone connected with the police or military after they overran territory. The nearly nine-month assault to retake Mosul also involved grinding urban warfare in which the security forces suffered heavy casualties. That has raised concerns among rights workers over vengeance killings.
Following the announcement of the victory in Mosul, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement warning Iraq that if “human rights challenges” are left unaddressed, they will “likely spark further violence and civilian suffering.”
“Horrific though the crimes of ISIL are, there is no place for vengeance,” the statement added, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was