Human Rights Watch has urged Iraqi military commanders to prevent armed factions that have “serious records of human rights violations” from taking part in operations to restore the city of Mosul from Daesh.
“Militia organisations belonging to the Shia Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which include the Badr Brigades and the Hezbollah Brigades, as well as other groups, have taken part in killings, disappearances, torture and destruction against Sunni civilians without any effort on the part of the government to punish or investigate the abuses,” HRW said in a statement.
The Iraqi army is expected to launch a wide-scale battle to restore Mosul later this year. The role of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Shia Popular Mobilization Forces in the battle is yet to be decided.
Deputy Middle East Director at Human Rights Watch Joe Stork said: “Militias that form part of the PMF have repeatedly carried out horrific, sometimes wide-scale abuses, most recently in Fallujah, with no consequences despite the government’s promises to investigate.”
“Iraqi commanders should not risk exposing Mosul civilians to serious harm by militias with a record of recent abuse,” he added.