Arabs deny Amnesty claims against Kurds

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – A Sunni Arab tribal leader denied claims in the Amnesty International report that accused Kurds of committing war crimes against Arabs.

Sheikh al-Mizahim, the tribal leader from Juhaish Arab tribe, confirmed that the destruction caused to the Arab villages was mostly due to ongoing fights and airstrikes.

In an interview with K24, Mizahim, said that the report by Amnesty International is a politically motivated accusation against the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Peshmerga forces. Mizahim added that the report undermines the services Peshmerga forces and the KRG have provided for the Arab-populated areas.

“Islamic State insurgents have been using the Arab villages as their bases while assaulting the Peshmerga forces; therefore, the destruction caused upon these areas are mainly due to the clashes and airstrikes,” Mizahim said.

Contrary to Amnesty’s report, there are in fact liberated areas secured by Peshmerga forces where those displaced are allowed to return to their homes. “Such a report by Amnesty is baseless, and aims at creating tensions between the people of Zumar, al-Rabi’a, and Sinjar. Residents of these areas are living in peace and safety,” Mizahim added.

He also told K24 that some Arab families who were fighting alongside the Islamic State (IS) against Peshmerga forces have left the area and are currently settled in the IS-controlled regions. “However, other Arab families who have not joined IS, are now protected by Peshmerga forces; KRG has provided them with basic services,” he added.

On Wednesday, the KRG strongly refuted the recent human rights report published by the Amnesty International. The KRG statement noted that the damage in the areas mentioned in the report was a result of clashes between Peshmerga forces and IS militants, in addition to U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and booby-traps planted by IS in residential areas.

The head of the KRG Committee to Respond to International Reports, Dindar Zebari, told K24 that Peshmerga forces have sacrificed their lives to protect and liberate the Arab-populated areas from IS control. “More than 670,000 Arabs are now living in the Kurdistan Region…Peshmerga forces opened a safe corridor for them to escape the IS-controlled areas,” Zebari said.

Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa