Iraqi government forces have been accused of unlawfully executing people with suspected links to Daesh near the extremist militia’s stronghold of Mosul.
London-based human rights group Amnesty International said on Thursday it had gathered evidence suggesting that up to six people were executed in cold blood in late October in several villages south of Mosul, due to suspected links with Daesh.
“Men in Federal Police uniform have carried out multiple unlawful killings, apprehending and then deliberately killing in cold blood residents in villages south of Mosul.
"In some cases the residents were tortured before they were shot dead execution-style,” said Lynn Maalouf, deputy director for research at Amnesty’s Beirut regional office.
“It is crucial that the Iraqi authorities carry out prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigations into these crimes under international law, and bring those responsible to justice," she said.
"Without effective measures to suppress and punish serious violations, there is a real risk that we could see war crimes of this kind repeated in other Iraqi villages and towns during the Mosul offensive."
On October 17, Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led air alliance, started a long-awaited campaign to dislodge Daesh from Mosul, the country’s second-largest city.
Mosul has been under Daesh control since mid-2014.
