GENEVA: The UN voiced deep concern on Friday over the reported shelling and burning of homes in the Iraqi city of Tuz Khurmatu, warning of a “serious risk” that violence could escalate.
The UN rights office pointed to reports that residential areas of Tuz Khurmatu, in the Salahaddin governorate, had been shelled on Dec. 9 and 12, “causing casualties among civilians.”
“It is not clear who is carrying out the shelling, which is reported to be coming from the mountains overlooking the area,” agency spokeswoman Liz Throssell told reporters in Geneva.
Iraqi forces are working to determine where the shelling is coming from and who is responsible.
Tensions have been swelling in the disputed area of Tuz Khurmatu following September’s independence referendum in the neighboring Kurdistan Region.
The city’s population is a mix of Turkoman, Kurd and Arab communities, and Throssell warned that “there is a serious risk that given the ethnic and religious fault lines in the area, that violence could escalate and spread.”
In recent weeks, clashes have raged between the Kurdish security forces also known as the Peshmerga and Turkmen Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs).
“This fighting has to date resulted in an unconfirmed number of deaths in each group,” Throssell said.
She said staff from the UN rights office visited the city on Dec. 7 and again on the 14th to investigate reports of the burning of homes and looting of businesses.
They had seen “some 150 premises that had been burned or otherwise damaged,” she said, adding that they had also spoken with people who had fled violence in the city and were currently staying in Kirkuk and Irbil.
In October, a similar number of houses were reportedly looted and burned by Turkmen PMUs and civilians, she pointed out.
As many as 11 houses reportedly belonging to Kurdish families and officials had also been destroyed by explosives in the city, Throssell said.
“Thousands of residents, mainly of Kurdish origin left for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, apparently fearing repercussions, and to date many have not returned,” she warned.
The UN rights office called for an end to “all acts that threaten the fundamental rights of the Tuz Khurmatu population.”
“We also call on the Iraqi authorities to ensure that civilians there are protected and those responsible for human rights abuses brought to justice,” Throssell said.
UN alarmed at clashes, house burnings in disputed Iraqi city
UN alarmed at clashes, house burnings in disputed Iraqi city
Australia tells families of diplomats to leave Israel, Lebanon
- The government has also offered voluntary departures to Australian diplomats’ dependants in the UAE, Jordan and Qatar
- The Australian government continues to advise citizens in Israel and Lebanon to consider leaving
JERUSALEM: The Australian government has told dependants of Australian diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave the two Middle East countries, citing a deteriorating security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
The government has also offered voluntary departures to Australian diplomats’ dependants in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar, it said on an official ministry X account.
US President Donald Trump laid out his case for a possible attack on Iran in his State of the Union speech to Congress on Tuesday, saying he would not allow the world’s biggest sponsor of terrorism to have a nuclear weapon.
Iran and the United States resumed negotiations earlier this month as Washington builds up military capability in the Middle East. Iran has threatened to strike US bases in the region if it is attacked, but Tehran’s top diplomat said on Tuesday that a deal with the US was “within reach” if diplomacy is prioritized.
The Australian government continues to advise citizens in Israel and Lebanon to consider leaving while commercial options are still available, the foreign ministry said.
The announcements were made in a series of posts on the foreign ministry’s Smartraveler X account.
