BAGHDAD – New York Times – Jan. 31, 2016 — Human Rights Watch said Sunday that powerful Iraqi Shiite militias were behind revenge attacks against Sunnis earlier this month that erupted after the Islamic State group bombed a cafe frequented by militiamen.
The New York-based rights group issued a report saying the Badr Brigades and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, two Iran-backed militias, carried out the Jan. 11 retaliation attacks in the town of Muqdadiyah, northeast of Baghdad in the mixed Diyala province. The attacks came after a double suicide bombing at the cafe killed at least 32 people.
Citing unnamed residents, HRW said the militiamen killed at least a dozen people and demolished Sunni mosques, homes and shops. It described the attacks as “heinous” and called for the prosecution of those responsible.
Spokesmen for the militias could not immediately be reached.
Shiite militias led the fight against IS in Diyala and took over much of the province’s security after it was declared liberated in early 2015. Many Iraqis who initially fled IS say security concerns continue to prevent them from returning home. Sunnis make up the vast majority of those displaced by the fighting in Iraq.