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Almost 19,000 Iraqi civilians killed in 22-month long conflict: UN report

Xinhua, January 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

More than 18,800 Iraqi civilians were killed and another 36,000 wounded during the 22-month long between Jan. 1, 2014 and Oct. 31, 2015, said deputy UN spokesman Farhan Haq at a daily briefing, citing a UN report released Tuesday.

Another 3.2 million people have become internally displaced since January 2014, including more than a million children of school age, said

Fighting between the Islamic State, Iraqi security forces and pro-government militias from the start of 2014 to the end of October 2015 have caused the "staggering" casualties, said the report.

The report was compiled by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), based largely on testimony obtained directly from victims, survivors and witnesses.

The report details numerous examples of killings by the Islamic State in gruesome public spectacles, including by shooting, beheading, bulldozing, burning alive and throwing off the top of buildings, said Haq.

"There are also reports of the murder of child soldiers who fled fighting on the frontlines in Anbar," he said.

The Islamic State continues to subject women and children to sexual violence, particularly in the form of sexual slavery, he added.

Furthermore, the report also documented alleged violations and abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law by the Iraqi Security Forces and associated forces, including militia and tribal forces, popular mobilization units, and Peshmerga, he said.

The Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq, Jan Kubis, reiterated his call to all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians from the effects of violence.

"He urges the Government to use all means to ensure law and order, necessary for the voluntary return of displaced people to their place of origin," said Haq. Endit