Reports of Looting in Tikrit; Shiite Militias Withdraw from the City

Following reports of widespread theft and looting of government buildings and citizens' property in Tikrit, local officials stated on Saturday, April 15, that Iraqi Shiite militia forces are in the process of withdrawing from the city and relocating to its outskirts. According to Reuters, Ahmad al-Karim, head of the Tikrit Council and Salah al-Din province, said, "As of this afternoon, the (militia) forces are leaving the city and establishing themselves in areas outside the city." He added, "The looting and theft of citizens' property has stopped, and the situation today in Tikrit has improved." The decision for the withdrawal of the Iranian-backed Shiite militias, who played a role in the capture of Tikrit, was made after negotiations between provincial officials and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Tikrit is the birthplace of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and government forces along with Shiite militias managed to take the city back from the control of the Islamic State (ISIS) on Wednesday. Earlier reports indicated that Shiite militia forces had looted shops in the city center on Wednesday. Some of these reports mentioned that these Shiite militias set fire to the homes of Sunni citizens in Tikrit. Commanders of these Shiite militia forces denied these reports, claiming that the homes were set ablaze by ISIS forces themselves before their retreat. According to these commanders, burning the homes is also a tactic for planting explosive devices. Iraqi army forces, along with volunteer forces, successfully regained control of Tikrit from ISIS last week. Government forces also managed to retake parts of Salah al-Din province multiple times last month. Significant parts of this province have been under the control of ISIS since last summer. Meanwhile, an American military official commented on reports of human rights violations during the Tikrit operation, which is predominantly inhabited by Sunnis, stating that the accuracy of these reports is still unclear. Additionally, Amnesty International announced on Thursday, April 13, that it is investigating reports of human rights violations by Iraqi army forces and their allied militias during the operation to retake Tikrit from ISIS.