More than 1000 civilians were killed by ISIL militants and their local allies in the recent onslaught in Iraq, UN monitors say.
Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Rupert Colville said in a report on Tuesday that according to United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), at least 757 civilians were killed and 599 injured in Nineveh, Diyala and Salah al-Din Provinces between 5 and 22 June. This figure - which should be viewed very much as a minimum - includes a number of verified summary executions and extra-judicial killings of civilians, police, and soldiers who were hors combat, Colville said.
At least another 318 people were killed, and 590 others injured during the same period in Baghdad and areas in the south, many of them as a result of vehicle-borne bomb blasts.Abductions continue to be reported in the northern provinces and in Baghdad. These include a number of cases of foreigners, such as the 48 Turkish citizens abducted from Turkey's consulate when ISIL captured Mosul.
In addition, according to the Indian Foreign Ministry, on 18 June, around 40 Indian nationals working for an Iraqi construction company were also kidnapped.
16 Georgians and a group of 44 other foreign workers of various nationalities who had been abducted by ISIL when they captured Al-Door district to the north of Tikrit were released on 19 June, with the help of local tribal leaders who assisted in negotiations between the Iraqi army and ISIL. They arrived in Kirkuk and are reported to be in good health.
ISIL have broadcast dozens of videos showing cruel treatment and beheadings and shootings of Iraqi soldiers, police officers, as well as people apparently targeted because of their religion or ethnicity, including Shia and minority groups such as Turcomans, Shabak, Christians, and Yezidis.
Colville urged the Iraqi authorities to investigate reported summary executions and all other violations committed by Iraqi security personnel, and to make a concerted effort to bring all perpetrators to justice.
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