HRW: Shiite militias violated laws of war in Tikrit battle
Pro-Iraqi government Shiite militias were in violation of the laws of war in retaking the city of Tikrit from ISIS militants in March and April 2015, according to a report released Sunday by Human Rights Watch. “Militiamen deliberately destroyed several hundred civilian buildings with no apparent military reason after the withdrawal of the extremist armed […]Pro-Iraqi government Shiite militias were in violation of the laws of war in retaking the city of Tikrit from ISIS militants in March and April 2015, according to a report released Sunday by Human Rights Watch.
“Militiamen deliberately destroyed several hundred civilian buildings with no apparent military reason after the withdrawal of the extremist armed group Islamic State, also known as ISIS, from the area,” HRW said in a press release promoting the report. The 60-page report, “Ruinous Aftermath: Militia Abuses Following Iraq’s Recapture of Tikrit,” used satellite imagery to confirm eyewitness accounts. After ISIS fled Tikrit, “Hizbollah Battalions and League of Righteous forces, two of the largely [Shiite] pro-government militias, abducted more than 200 Sunni residents, including children, near al-Dur, south of Tikrit,” according to the release. “At least 160 of those abducted remain unaccounted for.”
