Peshmerga forces from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)
and Kurdish militias in northern Iraq have bulldozed, blown up and
burned down thousands of homes in an apparent effort to uproot Arab
communities in revenge for their perceived support for the so-called
Islamic State (IS), said Amnesty International in a new report published
today.

The report, Banished and dispossessed: Forced displacement and deliberate destruction in northern Iraq,
is based on field investigation in 13 villages and towns and testimony
gathered from more than 100 eyewitnesses and victims of forced
displacement. It is corroborated by satellite imagery revealing evidence
of widespread destruction carried out by Peshmerga forces, or in some
cases Yezidi militias and Kurdish armed groups from Syria and Turkey
operating in coordination with the Peshmerga.
 “KRG forces appear to be spearheading a concerted campaign to
forcibly displace Arab communities by destroying entire villages in
areas they have recaptured from IS in northern Iraq. The forced
displacement of civilians and the deliberate destruction of homes and
property without military justification, may amount to war crimes,” said
Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response
Advisor, who carried out the field research in northern Iraq.

KRG forces appear to be spearheading a
concerted campaign to forcibly displace Arab communities by destroying
entire villages in areas they have recaptured from IS in northern Iraq

Donatella Rovera, Senior Crisis Response Advisor

Arab residents who fled their homes are also barred by KRG forces from returning to recaptured areas.
“Tens of thousands of Arab civilians who were forced to flee their
homes because of fighting are now struggling to survive in makeshift
camps in desperate conditions. Many have lost their livelihoods and all
their possessions and with their homes destroyed, they have nothing to
return to. By barring the displaced from returning to their villages and
destroying their homes KRG forces are further exacerbating their
suffering,” said Donatella Rovera.
The report reveals evidence of forced displacement and large-scale
destruction of homes in villages and towns in Ninewa, Kirkuk and Diyala
governorates – which Peshmerga forces recaptured from IS between
September 2014 and March 2015.
Though KRG officials have justified the displacement of Arab
communities on grounds of security, it appears to be used to punish them
for their perceived sympathies with IS, and to consolidate territorial
gains in “disputed areas” which the KRG authorities have long claimed as
rightfully theirs. This is part of a drive to reverse past abuses by
the Saddam Hussein regime, which forcibly displaced Kurds and settled
Arabs in these regions.
“KRG forces have a duty to bring to justice in fair trials
individuals who are suspected of having aided and abetted IS crimes. But
they must not punish entire communities for crimes perpetrated by some
of their members or based on vague, discriminatory and unsubstantiated
suspicions that they support IS,” said Donatella Rovera.
Satellite imagery corroborates evidence of mass destruction
Thousands of residents of Arab villages near Jalawla, in the east of
Diyala governorate, fled after IS fighters attacked the area in June
2014. More than a year after the area was recaptured by Peshmerga
forces, residents are unable to return and the villages have been
largely destroyed.
Maher Nubul, a father of 11 who left his village,
Tabaj Hamid, in August 2014 said the whole village was “flattened” after
it was recaptured by the Peshmerga four months later.
“All I know is that when the Peshmerga retook the village the houses
were standing. We could not go back but could see it clearly from the
distance. And later they bulldozed the village, I don’t know why. There
is nothing left. They destroyed everything for no reason,” he said.

There is nothing left. They destroyed everything for no reason

Maher Nubul, displaced resident of Tabaj Hamid

Amnesty International researchers who visited the area in
November 2015 found that the village of Tabaj Hamid had been razed to
the ground. Satellite images obtained by the organization also show that
not a single structure is left standing.

In Jumeili, researchers found the main part of the village had been
reduced to rubble. These findings are also supported by satellite
imagery evidence showing 95% of all walls and low lying structures have
been destroyed. Of the structures that remain the majority of rooftops
and windows have been damaged or destroyed.

In both villages, satellite images also reveal possible bulldozer
tracks near the piles of rubble and debris where buildings once stood.
Satellite images also provided evidence of large-scale destruction in two nearby villages, Bahiza and Tubaykh.
Amnesty International also found evidence of repeated deliberate mass
destruction of homes and property in Arab villages under Peshmerga
control in Iraq’s north-western Ninewa governorate.
“After our homes
were burned down we were ready to roll up our sleeves and repair them,
but the Peshmerga did not allow us to go back and then the Yezidi
militias came back and bulldozed and destroyed everything, including our
orchards; they left nothing for us to salvage,” said Ayub Salah, a
resident of Sibaya, north-east of Mount Sinjar.
In Sibaya and four nearby Arab villages – Chiri, Sayir, Umm Khabari
and Khazuqa – most of the houses were first burned down in January 2015
by members of Yezidi militias and fighters from Syrian and Turkish
Kurdish armed groups operating in the Sinjar region. They were destroyed
when the perpetrators returned with bulldozers five months later.
Amnesty International visited the area in November 2015 and found the villages largely destroyed.
During a previous visit in April 2015, many houses had been ransacked and burned, but were still standing.
Satellite images obtained for four of the five villages also show
them largely destroyed. In Sibaya, for example, more than 700 structures
were damaged or destroyed out of an estimated total of 897 structures.

In a nearby Arab village, Barzanke, where virtually every single
house had been destroyed, Peshmerga tried to blame the destruction on IS
fighters, despite a lack of any evidence to support these claims and
their own colleagues’ admission that they had destroyed the village to
ensure that Arab residents would have nothing to return to.

The KRG must immediately cease the unlawful
destruction of civilian homes and property and provide full reparation
to all civilians who have had their homes demolished or looted.

Donatella Rovera

On at least two occasions shortly after their arrival in destroyed
villages, Amnesty International researchers were apprehended by
Peshmerga, who escorted them out of the area and prevented them from
taking photographs.

End unlawful destruction, forced displacement
The KRG authorities have faced unprecedented humanitarian and
security challenges, since hundreds of thousands of people sought refuge
in areas under their control after IS captured large parts of northern
Iraq in 2014. However, these difficult circumstances cannot excuse
deliberate destruction and other serious abuses committed by KRG forces
and other militias documented in this report.
“The KRG must immediately cease the unlawful destruction of civilian
homes and property and provide full reparation to all civilians who have
had their homes demolished or looted. Civilians who have been forcibly
displaced must be allowed to return to their homes as soon as possible,”
said Donatella Rovera.
“The Peshmerga must not allow armed groups and militias who are their
allies in the fight against IS to commit such abuses. They have been in
control of this area since they recaptured it from IS in December 2014
and have a responsibility to ensure the protection of all communities.
“It is also critical that the international community – including
members of the US-led coalition fighting IS such as the UK and Germany
and others who are backing the Peshmerga forces – publicly condemn all
such violations of international humanitarian law. They must also ensure
that any assistance they are providing to the KRG is not fuelling such
abuses.”

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2016/01/northern-iraq-satellite-images-back-up-evidence-of-deliberate-mass-destruction-in-peshmerga-controlled-arab-villages/