Iraq: Investigate Mosque Strike That Killed Civilians
An attack on October 21, 2016, hit the women’s side of al-Khanli mosque in Daquq, 30 kilometers south of Kirkuk, Iraq, killing at least 13 women and children. The strike on the mosque, filled with mourners observing the Muslim holy month of Moharram, occurred without apparent military targets in the vicinity, residents told Human Rights […]An attack on October 21, 2016, hit the women’s side of al-Khanli mosque in Daquq, 30 kilometers south of Kirkuk, Iraq, killing at least 13 women and children. The strike on the mosque, filled with mourners observing the Muslim holy month of Moharram, occurred without apparent military targets in the vicinity, residents told Human Rights Watch.
A resident and a police officer told Human Rights Watch that they believed the attack on the mosque, which also wounded at least 45 people, was an airstrike because of the sound of aircraft and scale of destruction. Of the troops fighting for the Iraqi city of Mosul, only United States-led coalition forces in Iraq and the Iraqi air force are known to conduct airstrikes in this region. Media outlets have also reported this as an airstrike, likely carried out by the coalition, but a coalition spokesperson denied that they were responsible for the attack and the civilian casualties.
“Even in the heat of battle, armed forces should take all feasible precautions to avoid harming civilians,” said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director. “Iraqi forces should investigate whether this was a possible unlawful airstrike that killed civilians and report their findings. If this turns out to be their fault, they should take appropriate measures to compensate the victims.”
