ISIS Executed Over 6,300 Iraqi Civilians in 2016

The latest statistics from a website monitoring conflicts in Iraq indicate that last year, 16,361 civilians lost their lives due to violence in the country. Among the deceased, nearly half were executed; of these, 6,363 were executed by the group known as the 'Islamic State.' More than 200 of the execution victims were children. The total number of casualties is lower than in the past two years but still indicates a situation much worse than in 2013. Since 2014, the group known as the 'Islamic State' has made significant advances in Iraq, the consequences of which continue to plague the country. Currently, the Iraqi army, Kurdish Peshmerga forces, and their allied militias are fighting ISIS in Mosul, one of Iraq's largest and most important cities. However, violence, particularly suicide attacks and bombings in residential and civilian areas, continues; one of the latest examples of such attacks was an explosion in Baghdad during New Year's celebrations, which left 27 dead. Violence in Iraq is not limited to recent years and has persisted since the U.S.-led coalition's attack on Saddam Hussein's regime. The monitoring website 'Iraq Body Count,' which annually reports civilian casualties, previously stated that in 2015 and 2014, the number of fatalities was over 17,500 and 20,000, respectively. However, this figure was significantly lower in 2013—before ISIS's advances—ranging between 4,000 to 5,000 casualties. According to this monitoring website, last year, an average of 1,300 civilians lost their lives each month due to violence. Women and children each constituted 10 percent of the casualties. The statistics also indicate that violence has not occurred uniformly throughout the country. The number of victims is significantly high in Mosul and its surrounding areas. Nineveh province, where Mosul is located, accounts for nearly half of all casualties. In Baghdad, over 3,700 people and in Anbar province, over 1,700 people were killed. Additionally, nearly 2,000 civilians were killed in 'anti-ISIS coalition airstrikes.' Some of these attacks and allegations, both in Iraq and neighboring Syria, have been subject to investigation and scrutiny by the U.S. In some cases, the U.S. military has acknowledged that civilian casualties occurred in coalition airstrikes. For instance, last May, the U.S. military admitted to the deaths of 20 civilians over five months. The group known as the Islamic State was responsible for the deaths of two-thirds of civilians in 2016. Most victims were executed and were not actually targeted by suicide attacks and bombings. Among these, the group was responsible for the execution of dozens of children. The Iraqi army and government-aligned militias have also been identified as responsible for civilian deaths. According to observers, thousands of civilians have been killed during clashes and the aftermath of conflicts between ISIS and government forces and their allied militias, especially in Mosul and Anbar province. The civilian casualty statistics also include dozens of citizens from Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.