Very little coverage of this news that I can find- Evidence suggests atrocities committed in Kurdish offensive, mirroring ISIS killings
In this confusing atmosphere … obviously it is very difficult to identify who has been responsible, but still we are looking into this matter,” Kurdish Regional government spokesperson Safeen Dizayi told CTV News.
He said there is “no justification to behave in such a way and to treat dead corpses of ISIS or whomever in such a manner.”
I do wonder at the identity of the victims? Isis or whomever?
As coalition forces wage war against ISIS overseas, the alleged atrocities are an uncomfortable prospect for Western allies.
Since Canada is supporting the Kurds in what the government calls a training and advisory capacity, the Opposition and Amnesty International say it has an obligation to participate in the investigation.
“There is certainly ample reason to be concerned that this amounts to war crimes,” Amnesty International’s Alex Neve told CTV News.
Canadian Special Forces are based in Erbil, which is located 88 kilometres from where the killings occurred.
CTV News showed the gruesome photographs to Canada’s Department of National Defence.
An image purportedly shows fighters in the Kurdish offensive holding severed heads.
In a written statement, Defence Minister Jason Kenney said that Canadian troops had not been operating in the vicinity of Kirkuk.
“The Canadian Armed Forces take any allegations of abuse very seriously and CAF members have an obligation to report such allegations,” Kenney said.NDP MP Helene Laverdiere says Canada must investigate.
Canada takes abuse allegations very seriously. So much so that Canada's military will work as hard as they can to cover them up as quickly as possible
“We’ll have to know what happened there because I think it is quite sickening,” Laverdiere told CTV News. “It’s the only word that comes to my mind.”
Amnesty International says Canada has a lot of “expertise” it can offer to ensure the investigation is done properly.
CTV also sent the photographs to U.S. coalition command seeking comment on what actions are being taken to prevent such atrocities. There was no response.
Very little coverage of this news- Quite honestly it's unsurprising to me-Kurdish Troops Taking Selfies With ISIS Corpses I don't know how they are verifying these are ISIS corpses- no identifying info so I am curious just who all the beheaded persons really are?
The soldiers swarmed around the mangled corpses, some snapping photos with their phones while others spit into the wounds and gashes of the dead. "I'd like to take a leak over there," says one Peshmerga, nodding towards the two trucks while taking a piss behind a mound of earth and grass. "But we can't, with all the human rights activists watching," he added ruefully.
There is a bit more to this tale, but, for now this will do.And all these beheaded persons? Wonder if these images play a role in another scenario unfolding presently?