Orient Net, Feb. 18, 2017 – People of Mosul find themselves obliged to flee their homes despite the Baghdad Army’s announcement of taking control of the eastern part of their city, the NEWARAB paper reported.
The so-called the ’Popular Mobilization Units’ and the Baghdad Army are involved in reprisal acts and arbitrary arrests against hundreds of civilians from Mosul.
Bodies of civilians are found in squares and in abandoned buildings, let alone cases of kidnapping and looting under the pretext of tracking down ISIS sleeper cells, according to Khalid, a Mosul local speaking to the NEWARAB.
All these violations and abuses are committed with the knowledge of the Iraqi PM’s office. Officials, who are charged of observing the general situation in the eastern neighborhoods of Mosul, also know that these violations are perpetrated.
Khaled Abdullah, 47, fled from Mosul in June. 10, 2014 when ISIS took control of the Iraqi large city. Baghdad forces also fled from the city on that day, leaving their military locations to be seized by ISIS terrorists.
The continuation of reprisal and revenge acts against civilians in Mosul by sectarian militias made al-Kaldaniyya Church and other bishops, in statements published at intervals, disassociate themselves from these ugly crimes committed by a Christian militia calls itself the ’Christian Brigade of Babylon against people of Mosul.’
Meanwhile, some Iraqi tribal leaders and parliament members appealed to the UN and to the US-led coalition for putting an end to those crimes against civilians.
On his side, Mohammad Ali, the head of al-Salam Organization for Human Rights, said in a speech to the NEWARAB that at least 800 Iraqi citizens were either killed or kidnapped or even unaccounted for in Mosul.
On Jan. 5, Amnesty International said Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units were engaged in a “systematic pattern of violations,” including enforced disappearances, torture and unlawful killings targeting the Sunni community in Mosul.
Popular Mobilization Units is a coalition of predominantly Iranian-trained Shia groups, formed in 2014.
Baghdad said it captured the eastern neighborhoods of Mosul from ISIS in (January 24). earlier this year.