KRG: Three reasons properties damaged in liberated areas

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) denied rumors that Peshmerga deliberately causes property damage in war zones and explained how the liberation process works.

Dindar Zebari, head of the KRG Committee for Monitoring International Reports, in a press conference on Wednesday revealed that there are three reasons that cause the destruction of a number of houses in some of the liberated areas even though “Peshmerga forces do their best to protect people’s properties.”

The destruction is unfortunate but inevitable while eradicating a vicious force like IS. Extremists plant numerous IEDs and booby traps that detonate and destroy.

The coalition bombards the IS positions inside cities and villages which inflict significant damage to the city.

And when ground troops go through the final stages of liberating the IS-held areas more properties are damaged, Zebari clarified.

Peshmerga engineering team personnel risk their lives to defuse the bombs and booby traps in the liberated areas, but some of the bombs detonated, destroy civilian houses and martyr Peshmerga forces, Zebari added.

IS extremists destroyed 330 houses that belonged to the local security forces personnel and government employees in Zummar area even before Peshmerga liberates the areas.

On March 17, the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani issued instructions for Peshmerga forces and other security forces regarding protecting civilian lives and properties during the military operations against IS and formed a committee investigate the alleged violence in the newly liberated areas.

According to Zebari, Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a report released on April 22, praised Barzani’s decisions to prevent human rights violations.

“We are the first government in the region to be praised in such a way especially since we are in a very complicated war against Dae’sh,” he added.

Editing by Ava Homa