Barwana massacre explained

Barwana massacre
Partof:War in Iraq (2013–2017)
Location:Barwana, Muqdadiyah, Iraq
Date:28 January 2015
Fatalities:70
Perps:Unknown Shia militia
Motive:Revenge for ISIS atrocities or ISIS propaganda aimed at increasing sectarianism

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.

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

Notes and References

  1. News: Iraq probes alleged massacre by Shia militia in Diyala. 16 March 2015. BBC. 29 January 2015. 19 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150319121445/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31037426. live.
  2. News: Michael Jansen. Analysis: Islamic State halts Iraqi advance in battle for Tikrit. 16 March 2015. THE IRISH TIMES. 5 March 2015. 5 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150705055132/http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/analysis-islamic-state-halts-iraqi-advance-in-battle-for-tikrit-1.2126313. live.
  3. News: Jane Arraf. Iraq's war within a war. 16 March 2015. Al Jazeera. 29 Jan 2015. 9 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150209020906/http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/2015/01/iraq-war-barwana-150129195729201.html. live.
  4. News: Jane Arraf. Iraq PM orders urgent probe into military 'massacre'. 16 March 2015. Al Jazeera. 29 Jan 2015. 3 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190403022855/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/01/iraq-pm-orders-urgent-probe-military-massacre-150129132719377.html. live.
  5. News: Liz Sly. Liz Sly. Pro-Iran militias' success in Iraq could undermine U.S.. 16 March 2015. The Washington Post. 15 February 2015. 26 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180826161328/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/iraqs-pro-iranian-shiite-militias-lead-the-war-against-the-islamic-state/2015/02/15/5bbb1cf0-ac94-11e4-8876-460b1144cbc1_story.html. live.
  6. News: Iran-backed Iraqi forces seize towns near Tikrit. 16 March 2015. DAILY SABAH. 11 March 2015. 17 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150317012619/http://www.dailysabah.com/mideast/2015/03/11/iranbacked-iraqi-forces-seize-towns-near-tikrit. live.
  7. News: Manaf Al-Obaidi. Government forces not responsible for Diyala village massacre: official. 16 March 2015. Asharq Al Awsat. 6 Feb 2015. 7 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150207100356/http://www.aawsat.net/2015/02/article55341185/governemnt-forces-not-responsible-for-diyala-village-massacre-official. live.
  8. Web site: STATEMENT NO. (1048) REGARDING THE BRUTAL MASSACRE IN BARWANA OF DIYALA. Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq. 4 April 2015. 29 January 2015. 10 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150410013415/http://heyetnet.org/en/index.php/aciklamalar/item/1274-statement-no-1048-regarding-the-brutal-massacre-in-barwana-of-diyala. live.

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