Iraq’s Minorities “On Verge of Disappearance”: Rights Group

Iraq’s Christian population, which before 2003 numbered as many as 1.4 million, is now under 2,50,000.

Many of Iraq’s minorities are on the verge of disappearance after 13 years of war, campaigners warned on Monday.

The impact on minorities has been catastrophic. Saddam was terrible; the situation since is worse. Tens of thousands of minorities have been killed and millions have fled for their lives.

Mark Lattimer, head of Minority Rights Group (MRG)

Iraq’s Christian population, which numbered as many as 1.4 million before 2003, is now under 250,000, according to a report by MRG and other rights organizations.

Civil conflicts and sectarian tensions have engulfed the country since 2003 when a US-led coalition toppled Saddam Hussein. In 2014 Islamic State militants declared a caliphate after capturing swathes of Iraq and Syria.

Minorities including the Yazidi, Turkmen, Shabak, Christians and Kaka’i have been disproportionately affected by the recent violence, the report, “No Way Home: Iraq’s Minorities on the Verge of Disappearance”, said.

Tens of thousands have been murdered, maimed or abducted and many women and girls forced into marriage or sexual enslavement.

One cannot say anything positive about Saddam – he was a genocidal dictator, but for many minorities the situation is now much worse.

Mark Lattimer, head of Minority Rights Group (MRG)

The Yazidis hit the headlines in mid-2014 when Islamic State militants attacked them in northwest Iraq, killing, capturing and enslaving thousands.

The jihadist group has shown particular cruelty to the Yazidis, whom they regard as devil-worshippers.

Most Yazidis, along with another minority called the Kaka’i, have been forced from their traditional lands. Also highlighted is the plight of the Shi’ite Turkmen and Shabak communities who have been driven south.

The report demands an end to impunity for crimes against minorities. It says planning should begin immediately for a post-Islamic State era to enable them to return to their homelands.

It also calls for the protection of mass graves in areas captured from Islamic State and the deployment of forensic teams to investigate possible war crimes.

(With Reuters inputs)