Iraqi Army Crimes in Anti-Daesh Fight Reflect Poor US' Training - Rights Group

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US military advisers who train Iraqi army units appear to leave out guidance on global humanitarian and human-rights norms, leading to summary executions in Mosul and other cities formerly under control of Daesh (banned in Russia), Geneva International Center for Justice Executive Director Naji Haraj told Sputnik.

"We have said publicly that the United States has trained the Iraqi army in a way that allowed these grave violations to happen because they have no respect whatsoever for the relevant laws, mainly the international humanitarian law and the international human rights law," Haraj said on Friday.

Haraj explained that the Geneva International Center for Justice has received reports about the killing of civilians throughout the campaign to liberate Mosul from Daesh.

"Since the beginning of the campaign to liberate Mosul from the terrorist organization Daesh, we have received several reports of widespread abuse and killing of civilians on the pretext of cooperating with Daesh," Haraj said.

The Geneva International Center for Justice, Haraj pointed out, has repeatedly called for the United Nations to send an international commission of inquiry to investigate reports.

"We have conveyed that to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, here in Geneva, in several letters which documented the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Mosul," he said.

Haraj also said that an international investigative body should be assembled as quickly as possible to look into every allegation of violations by Iraqi army units.