Kurdish Peshmerga Accused of 'Mass Executions of Detainees'

Human Rights Watch has accused the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq of 'mass executions' of detainees suspected of being members of the Islamic State (ISIS). On Friday (February 9), Agence France-Presse reported, citing Human Rights Watch, that Kurdish Peshmerga had detained several Iraqis and foreigners suspected of being affiliated with ISIS at a school named Salih al-Malihah, located 70 kilometers from Mosul. According to the report, Lama Faqih, the organization's Middle East deputy, stated that 'evidence' suggests that the security forces of the Kurdistan Region, known as 'Asayish', executed 'dozens or even hundreds' of these detained men in mass executions every night over the course of a week. He called for an 'immediate and transparent' investigation into these executions and the identification of those responsible by the authorities of the central government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. The report indicates that these executions occurred between August 28 and September 3. Meanwhile, an official in the Kurdistan Regional Government denied the allegations. Dindar Zebari stated that the Asayish leaders reported that the Peshmerga were engaged in combat with ISIS members at that time, and they were attempting to flee to Syria. He noted that several forces from both sides were killed in the conflict, and the bodies of the deceased ISIS members were likely taken for burial elsewhere. However, Human Rights Watch claims that the bodies of ISIS members were found 40 kilometers from the conflict site. According to the organization's report, these statements do not align with the burial site of these bodies, which is significantly distant from the conflict area, especially as 'a bullet was shot into their heads'. The forces of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which have frequently clashed with members of the Islamic State, have previously been accused of human rights violations. Amnesty International reported in 2016 that following clashes with the group known as 'Islamic State', officials in the city of Kirkuk, which was then under the control of the Kurdistan Region, had 'expelled hundreds of Sunni Arab citizens from their homes in the city'. According to Amnesty International's report, 'Kirkuk officials destroyed the homes of hundreds of Arab citizens and ordered them to leave the city.' The report estimated that around 250 households were 'destroyed', and Peshmerga forces along with 'special security and Asayish forces' in the Kurdistan Region expelled another 190 families from their residences in nearby villages. The expelled individuals and families were accused of supporting or collaborating with ISIS militants during recent attacks. In 2014, Human Rights Watch also reported that Iraqi Kurdish military forces had been holding a large number of Sunni Arabs in a security zone in northern Iraq for months, not allowing them to return or enter the Kurdistan Region.