Human Rights Watch has documented the illegal executions of 255 Sunni prisoners in northern Iraq. Another 96 people were killed today, and 68 more were wounded.
Politics:
Human Rights Watch reported that Iraqi forces and Shi’ite militias killed at least 255 Sunni prisoners last month and considers the executions a war crime or possibly a crime against humanity. The group collected evidence from five prisons massacres in the Mosul area, but the government said the allegations were inaccurate. However, there is evidence that Iraq has been killing prisoners in other regions, such as in Hashimiya and in Baquba during the same time period.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani asked fighters to respect the right of all Iraqi people regardless of their ethnic or religious affiliations. There are fears that some of the Shi’ite militiamen who had heeded the Ayatollah’s call to arms were abusing Iraq minority members.
Kurdish forces assumed responsibility for oil production facilities at the Kirkuk and Bai Hassan oil fields. The Iraqi Oil Ministry condemned the seizures, but sources within the Kurdish government said they only took over the facilities after learning that that oil ministry intended to sabotage them. Iraq bombed facilities near Mosul yesterday. The Kurds say they will use the facilities to relieve shortages within Iraq. Indeed, other critical facilities are offline, such as the refinery at Baiji.
A "secret" but well-known C.I.A. station adjacent to Arbil’s airport, in Kurdistan, is undergoing an expansion. Locals say that they have been hearing what they believe to be U.S. drones operating out of the facility.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki appointed new cabinet members in the positions occupied by the boycotting Kurds.
Nineveh’s minorities are considering whether they will tie their futures to the emerging Kurdish state or not.
Apparently, the conflict is inducing many teenagers to join militias. Kurdish forces in Syria recently decommissioned 149 underage fighters.
While the Islamic State is destroying shrines and mosques, it could also be selling antiquities on the black market, as it has done in Syria.
Turkey is again hinting it would not resist an independent Kurdistan.
Fighting:
At least nine more farmers were reported kidnapped in the Dujail area. It is now apparent that Shi’ite militias are responsible and could be demanding ransom.
At a Kirkuk checkpoint, a suicide bomber killed 28 civilians and wounded 25 more. A suicide bombing southwest of the city killed a Peshmerga member and wounded three more.
Eleven policemen were killed and dozens more were wounded during clashes near Ramadi.
Helicopters bombed Haditha, killing eight militant suspects.
Artillery fire and shelling killed seven people and wounded 11 more in Falluja. Women and children were among the victims.
In Shurqat, militants killed three civilians.
At least six militant leaders were killed during air strikes in western Anbar. Dozens more militants were killed or wounded.
Twenty militants were killed in Jurf al-Sakhar. Two volunteer fighters were killed and five more were wounded in a clash.
Near Ramadi, Naqshabandiya Army and Islamic State militants fought each other, leaving two I.S. militants dead.
Six militants were killed in Baiji.
Syrian warplanes were seen in western Anbar again.
