Iraqi Sunni tribe: Shia militia destroys our houses

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Iraqi Shia militia Hashd al-Shaabi has destroyed over 50 villages in Suleyman Beg area in southern Kirkuk Province, said a Sunni tribal leader on Wednesday.

Sheikh Sair Bayati, the head of Sunni Arab tribes in Khurmatu, complained about the Iraqi Shia militia destroying properties of the Sunni residents in the town of Suleyman Beg after liberating it from the Islamic State (IS). He showed the picture of his house to Kurdistan24 which he claims was destroyed by the militia.

Hashd al-Shaabi — one of the largest Shia militias in Iraq — was created by the top Iranian Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani after the collapse of the Iraqi army in June 2014.

The Iraqi Federal Government largely supports the militia, which has primarily conducted military operations against the Islamic State (IS) in several provinces across the country.

In addition to destroying 50 villages in Suleyman Beg, Bayati told Kurdistan24 that “They have launched a new operation in the area and destroyed over 1,000 houses.”

He added that he has information that Hashd al-Shaabi is kidnapping Sunni people in Suleyman Beg.

“Hashd al-Shaabi kidnaps Sunnis and kills them in Suleyman Beg, telling people and media that they were Dae’sh supporters,” Bayati stated, using Arabic pejorative term for the Islamic State (IS).

However, the militia rejects the accusations and threatens to arrest those who make such statements.

“Those who accuse Hashd al-Shaabi of destruction are Dae’sh supporters [IS],” Ali Husseini, the spokesperson of Hashd al-Shaabi for northern Iraq, told Kurdistan24.

Husseini stated that Sunni tribal leaders have no evidence to prove that the militia has caused the destruction in Suleyman Beg.

Suleyman Beg is a Sunni-populated area that was captured by IS in 2014. Hashd al-Shaabi liberated the town a year ago but prevented displaced people from returning to their town.

The relations between Iraqi Shia and Sunni Arabs has worsened since the emergence of the extremists in northern Iraq. Sunni analysts claim that the militia aims to take revenge for what the former dictator of Iraq Saddam Hussein did to them in the past.

Reporting by Soran Kamaran and Mewan Dolamari
Editing by Ava Homa