Human Rights Watch [7] (HRW) on July 31 urged Iraqi military commanders to prevent historically abusive militias [8] from participating in the campaign to retake the city of Mosul [9] from the Islamic State (IS). Last March the Iraqi army began working [10] with Kurdish Peshmerga and affiliates of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF [11]) to launch a ground offensive against the IS, which has been holding Mosul since June 2014. Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Brigades [12], officially stated [13] in late June that the PMF would be taking part in the liberation of the city. HRW has stressed, however, that the PMF has a long reported history of abuses, including summary killings, enforced disappearances, torture, and the destruction of homes. In the May campaign to retake Fallujah [8], there were numerous reports of PMF members abusing civilians, performing executions, and mutilating corpses despite Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's prior declaration that the PMF would not enter the city. In light of the PMF's various reported offenses, HRW stated that the Iraqi army has a duty to protect the civilian population and hold militia fighters accountable for past war crimes.
From Jurist [14], July 31. Used with permission.
Note: With nearly the entire population of Fallujah displaced in the wake of the battle for the city, aid workers are warning of a humanitarian disaster of massive proportions [15] in the battle for far more populous Mosul.
