Iraqi Sunnis accuse Shia militias of assassinating imams and scholars

An Iraqi Sunni group has accused Shia militias in Diyali of carrying out systematic assassinations of Sunni imams and scholars, Alamatonline.com reported on Friday. The details have been revealed by Al-Rabie Al-Sunni Movement in Iraq, which sent a letter to the Rights Committee that defends the Sunni Muslims in the country, which is currently meeting in Istanbul.

The letter said that the militants are working on silencing the voice of the Sunni majority in the city. It included the names, positions and dates of the killings, along with details of how the imams and scholars were murdered.

Shaikh Muhanad Ali Naem, for example, was the imam of Al-Abrar Mosque. He was assassinated on 22 November, 2013 after he left the building. In the same month, Shaikh Dr Thabet Al-Khazraji was killed by the Shia militias after leaving the mosque of Umm-Al-Mo’mineen Khadija.

In total, the details of 33 imams and scholars were listed in the letter. “Such dirty practices,” insisted the Sunni movement, “serve to increase the persistence of the people of Diyali.” All of those involved in the assassination programme “will face death,” it added.