Barwana massacre
The Barwana massacre was committed by unknown Shia militia as a revenge for ISIS atrocities. It allegedly involved the sectarian execution-style killing of over 70 unarmed boys and men in the small Sunni village of Barwana, which is just west of Muqdadiyah, Iraq.
| Barwana massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of War in Iraq (2013–2017) | |
| Location | Barwana, Muqdadiyah, Iraq |
| Date | 28 January 2015 |
| Deaths | 70 |
| Perpetrators | Unknown Shia militia |
| Motive | Revenge for ISIS atrocities or ISIS propaganda aimed at increasing sectarianism |
However, security officials disputed the accounts, with some saying that ISIS militants were responsible and others that they were fabricated by ISIS supporters.[1]
Attack
The attack allegedly occurred on 28 January 2015, within the context of the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The victims were refugees who had fled the previous ISIS advance in the region.[2][3] Thirty-five other males were missing, or suspected of being detained.[1]
According to Sunni witnesses, the security forces broke down doors and rounded up men in house-to-house searches, with the village chief saying, "They fooled me – they told me this would be a check of the names of displaced families."[4]
Aftermath
Later, reporters seeking to visit the village, to gain information, were denied access.[5]
The massacre is being investigated by Human Rights Watch.[6]
Reactions
Iraqi military officials dismissed the massacre reports as a fabrication. According to the Saudi owned Asharq Al-Awsat, despite “similar instances” of Shia militias “committing sectarian atrocities.”[7]
The attack was condemned by the Sunni-Salafi Association of Muslim Scholars as a "sectarian crime that clearly shows how much those militias characterized by lack of ethics to a limit that they have killed unarmed civilians in front of their families and relatives in a massacre of no less heinous than the previous ones committed by the governments of occupation and associated militias."[8]
See also
References
- "Iraq probes alleged massacre by Shia militia in Diyala". BBC. 29 January 2015. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- Michael Jansen (5 March 2015). "Analysis: Islamic State halts Iraqi advance in battle for Tikrit". THE IRISH TIMES. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- Jane Arraf (29 Jan 2015). "Iraq's war within a war". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- Jane Arraf (29 Jan 2015). "Iraq PM orders urgent probe into military 'massacre'". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- Liz Sly (15 February 2015). "Pro-Iran militias' success in Iraq could undermine U.S." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 26 August 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- "Iran-backed Iraqi forces seize towns near Tikrit". DAILY SABAH. 11 March 2015. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- Manaf Al-Obaidi (6 Feb 2015). "Government forces not responsible for Diyala village massacre: official". Asharq Al Awsat. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
- "STATEMENT NO. (1048) REGARDING THE BRUTAL MASSACRE IN BARWANA OF DIYALA". Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq. 29 January 2015. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2015.