716
Kirkuk
- A Kurdish man named Mohammed Hassan was released from jail after illegal detention and torture by the Iraqi federal police, leaving him to lose all his fingers. Hassan was a security guard industry quarter when he encountered Iranian-backed militias trying to loot a shop last year. However, the next day a scout of the federal police arrested him and falsely accused him of a link to terrorism. The police officers severely tortured Hassan for months and obligated him to give up his rights to file a lawsuit. His case echoed across the country, binding the new prime minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani, to launch investigations.
- Despite repeated calls by Kurdish parties and community leaders, the Iraqi army continues harassing the Kurdish neighborhoods with raids and searches. On November 14, the Iraqi military conducted house searches in the Azadi neighborhood without a judge’s order. Military units have been deployed across the Kurdish areas for over a month.
- On November 16, the director of the Kirkuk’s Special Guards, brigadier Kamil Saed, attended the military court hearing after a lawsuit against him for “participation” in the Independence Referendum held by the Kurds in 2017. The court used the recently issued amnesty by the government and acquitted the Kurdish officer. His trial was based on a report by an Arab officer. Several Kurdish officers in the police forces were facing charges for voting in the referendum, but the Baghdad-Erbil talks resulted in an amnesty by the Iraqi government.
- On November 18, the security forces conducted a military operation in the Wadi Rokhana near the Daquq district. According to a statement issued by the Interior Ministry, the operation discovered two ISIS (Da’esh) hideouts containing traces of 15 people. Explosive belts, mobile phones, and medical supplies were confiscated in the hideouts. Near the same area, the security forces killed three Da’esh terrorists, including a senior leader, on November 16. Separately, the 8th division of the army replaced the federal policies forces in the Riyad subdistrict, part of new security changes in the province amid continuous Da’esh attacks.
Khanaqin
- Susan Mansour, an Iraqi parliamentarian for Khanaqin district, told the media that at their request, the Iraqi parliament would investigate the demographic changes in Khanaqin. According to the lawmaker, the regional and provincial affairs committee will visit Khanaqin soon and investigate reports of demographic changes in the district. Since October 16, 2017, 52 Kurdish villages in Khanaqin have been evacuated due to the threat of armed groups.
Shingal (Sinjar)
- On November 15, the Baghdad-based National Mass Grave Excavation Team and a forensic team began excavating the first grave of the Yazidi victims of the ISIS genocide by Da’esh in the village of Garzak in Sinjar district. Officials said that there are at least five mass graves in the village containing 100 victims scheduled to be excavated. The excavation of the first grave is expected to take 13 days, followed by the other graves. The National Mass Grave Excavation said there are more than 80 mass graves of Yazidi victims; only 33 have been excavated.