UN: reports, videos show new atrocities by Shiite militias in Fallujah, Iraq

By: Keyvan Salami

The United Nations have recently obtained fresh reports showing flagrant human rights violations by Iran-backed Shiite militia proxy groups targeting civilians in the flashpoint city of Fallujah in al-Anbar Province, west of Baghdad in Iraq. Around a month into the Fallujah offensive Iraqi forces are attempting to retake the remaining areas in the northern and western areas of the Daesh (ISIS) militants pocketed deep into these sections.

Thousands of civilians, mostly from the Sunni community, have now fled Fallujah after recent developments in which Daesh (ISIS) forces suffered setbacks. The al-Anbar governor said last week 48 Sunni male civilians were executed after they surrendered themselves to Iran-backed Shiite militias, adding more than 600 others are also unaccounted for and have simply vanished. A spokesman of the United Nations Refugee Agency said they have obtained two new video clips showing attacks on civilians in Fallujah, Reuters reported.

The two new video clips show “criminals” wearing military uniforms and it remains unclear to what groups they are affiliated to.

These reports on attacks and human rights violations were obtained from a number of reports, the UNHCR spokesman said.

Prior to this the U.N. had requested clarification and investigation into various reports showing human rights violations that can actually lead to increasing sectarian tensions in Iraq. Reports also indicate a number of civilians have been arrested in this regard.

Yousuf al-Kalabi, the spokesman for the Shiite militias known as the Popular Mobilization Force have described these reports as “lies,” where as in addition to eyewitness reports, video clips of torture and the murder of civilians were posted on the Internet by PMF troops.

This issue has raised major protests from Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the senior clergy of Shiites in Iraq. He has said in this regard:

“When Daesh (ISIS) and its supporters attacked the cities of Iraq and launched a campaign of killings and corruption, I issued a fatwa making it a duty to rise in the defense of the innocent, and not to wage war against our brothers of the Sunni community. When you are fighting in Ramadi and other cities today, you are involved in a battle to defend your brothers to relieve them from Daesh (ISIS). You are not conquerors. In fact, you are there to sacrifice your lives and blood to support your brothers against the aggressors.”

It needs to be noted that Iran and the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force have been the main elements behind the sectarian nature of the battles waged by the PMF and other affiliated forces in Iraq against the Sunni community, all under the pretext of battling Daesh (ISIS). 

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