Amnesty International Accuses Iraqi Armed Forces of Torture and Execution of Civilians in Mosul Operations

Amnesty International states that the Iraqi armed forces, during the Mosul operations, engaged in "arbitrary executions" and torture of several civilians suspected of collaborating with the "Islamic State." The human rights organization has called for investigations into this matter and has raised the allegation that "war crimes" occurred during the battles. The report from Amnesty International was published on November 20, stating that "men wearing the uniform of the Iraqi Federal Police calmly committed illegal killings of residents in some villages south of Mosul." The operation to retake Mosul began on October 26. The Baghdad government had stated that the armed forces of the army and federal police would be present during the entry into the city to control it. Kurdish Peshmerga forces are also involved in this operation, with air support from a U.S.-led coalition, and Shiite militias have also been dispatched to the battles. In its latest report, Amnesty International accused the Iraqi armed forces of torturing suspects before killing them. In one instance mentioned in the report, these forces beat a group of men with cables and gun butts and then shot them. It is reported that those tortured and/or killed were suspected of membership or collaboration with the group known as the "Islamic State." The human rights organization has urged Baghdad officials to conduct independent investigations into this evidence, which, according to Amnesty International, could be examples of "war crimes." This report is the first of its kind from a major monitoring and human rights organization, focusing on events surrounding the Mosul retaking operation. Three weeks prior to the start of the Mosul operation, Amnesty International had issued a statement calling for all efforts by the Iraqi government and its allies to primarily focus on ensuring the safety and health of civilians and preventing "potential retaliatory attacks" in Mosul and its surroundings. The Iraqi government has not yet responded to this latest report from the organization, but Haider al-Abadi, the country's Prime Minister, had previously committed that his forces would protect civilians during the Mosul battle. In this context, the Iraqi army has stated that it is approaching Mosul airport.