Kurdish Peshmerga forces and militias in northern Iraq have demolished thousands of homes in a concerted effort to remove Arab communities, Amnesty International says.
They did so in revenge for their perceived support for so-called Islamic State (ISIS), it says in a report.
Amnesty says Kurdistan Regional Government forces might have committed war crimes in areas recaptured from ISIS.
Kurdish authorities have not yet responded to the allegations.
Amnesty says the report, Banished and dispossessed: Forced displacement and deliberate destruction in northern Iraq, is based on a field investigation in 13 villages and towns and put together from testimony gathered from more than 100 eyewitnesses and victims of forced displacement.
The rights group says that its findings have been corroborated by satellite imagery which shows evidence of widespread destruction carried out by Peshmerga forces – in some cases by Yazidi militias and in other cases by Kurdish armed groups from Syria and Turkey operating in co-ordination with the Peshmerga.
“The forced displacement of civilians and the deliberate destruction of homes and property without military justification, may amount to war crimes,” said Amnesty’s Senior Crisis Response Advisor Donatella Rovera.
Arab residents forced to vacate their homes are now prevented by Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) forces from returning to recaptured areas, Amnesty says,
“Tens of thousands of Arab civilians who were forced to flee their homes because of fighting are now struggling to survive in makeshift camps in desperate conditions,” Ms Rovera said.
“Many have lost their livelihoods and all their possessions and with their homes destroyed, they have nothing to return to.
“By barring the displaced from returning to their villages and destroying their homes KRG forces are further exacerbating their suffering.”
The Amnesty report follows a UN report on Tuesday which says that violence suffered by civilians in Iraq “remains staggering”, with at least 18,800 killed between 1 January 2014 and 31 October 2015.
The UN said the worst excesses were committed by IS, who are responsible for systematic and widespread violence, including holding some 3,500 mainly women and children as slaves.
But it too said that some alleged abuses were carried out by troops, militiamen and Kurdish forces.
AFP
