Daily Sabah logo

Politics
Diplomacy Legislation War On Terror EU Affairs Elections News Analysis
TÜRKİYE
Istanbul Education Investigations Minorities Expat Corner Diaspora
World
Mid-East Europe Americas Asia Pacific Africa Syrian Crisis Islamophobia
Business
Automotive Economy Energy Finance Tourism Tech Defense Transportation News Analysis
Lifestyle
Health Environment Travel Food Fashion Science Religion History Feature Expat Corner
Arts
Cinema Music Events Portrait Reviews Performing Arts
Sports
Football Basketball Motorsports Tennis
Opinion
Columns Op-Ed Reader's Corner Editorial
PHOTO GALLERY
JOBS ABOUT US RSS PRIVACY CONTACT US
© Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2023

Daily Sabah logo

عربي
  • Politics
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • Elections
    • News Analysis
  • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Expat Corner
    • Diaspora
  • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • Islamophobia
  • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
  • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
  • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Reviews
    • Performing Arts
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
  • Gallery
  • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
  • TV

Hashd al-Shaabi offensive could alter Tal Afar's demographics

by Yunus Paksoy

ANKARA Aug 10, 2017 - 12:00 am GMT+3
Tal Afar, a relatively large town with a population of 200,000 mostly Turkmens, fell into the hands of Daesh in 2014 after the Iraqi army withdrew from the town.
Tal Afar, a relatively large town with a population of 200,000 mostly Turkmens, fell into the hands of Daesh in 2014 after the Iraqi army withdrew from the town.
by Yunus Paksoy Aug 10, 2017 12:00 am

Ankara expressed frustration and reiterated its warning over participation of the extremist Shiite paramilitary group Hashd al-Shaabi in a ground offensive on the Turkmen-populated Iraqi town of Tal Afar

The Turkish government has become increasingly uneasy over extremist Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi's imminent ground offensive on the Turkmen-populated Iraqi town of Tal Afar, a senior Turkish official told Daily Sabah.

Reiterating Ankara's frustration over a Hashd al-Shaabi-led operation against Daesh-held Tal Afar, the high-level official said the offensive should be carried out by the national Iraqi army rather than a recently legalized paramilitary group.

Amid the increasing number of media reports claiming that the Tal Afar operation is around the corner, the senior official said that Turkey's stance on the issue has not changed. A Hashd al-Shaabi commander, speaking to the Russian news agency Sputnik, said earlier this week that the operation will kick off very soon, adding that the group will partake in it.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry confirmed the participation of the Shiite paramilitary group, as well. In a written statement, the Ministry said all military units have been geared up to crack down on Daesh in Tal Afar. Hashd al-Shaabi "will actively engage in the battle," the statement added.

The senior official said Ankara has concerns regarding the possibility that the Shiite group may spoil the ethnic and sectarian composition of the town. "Tal Afar's ethnic and sectarian composition should be preserved," the official concluded.

Ankara had previously warned Baghdad in regard to a possible Hashd al-Shaabi operation, as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in late October 2016 that Turkey does not find such an offensive appropriate in any way: "I conveyed this to all authorities loud and clear. Tal Afar is entirely a Turkmen town. Half the town is Shiite and the other half Sunni. We are looking at them wholistically as Muslims rather than Shiite or Sunni. However, if Hashd al-Shaabi terrorizes [Tal Afar], our response would certainly be different."

Tal Afar, a relatively large town with a population of 200,000 Turkmens, fell into the hands of Daesh in 2014 after the Iraqi army withdrew from the town. It is estimated that 60 percent of the Turkmens are Sunnis, while the remaining Turkmens are Shiite. Ethnic cleansing stemming from sectarian divisions is feared once the extremist Shiite paramilitary group takes control of the town.

Ethnic, sectarian human rights violations feared

Hashd al-Shaabi has had a notorious past. Iraq's Sunni Arabs and human rights groups have long complained that the militiamen have been involved in extrajudicial killings, abuse and the theft or destruction of property in areas from which they drove out Daesh. The militias' commanders, however, deny the charges and insist that the excesses are the work of an isolated few.

Recently, Iraqi ambassador to Ankara, Hisham Ali Akbar Ibrahim al-Alawi, brushed off allegations that the Hashd al-Shaabi had committed war crimes and violated basic human rights against Sunni Arabs in Mosul.

However, the Iraqi ambassador admitted that some people within the group "might have engaged in illegal actions" during the war. In spite of Baghdad's insistence that Hashd al-Shaabi has not engaged in any type of extrajudicial killings or mistreatment of civilians, human rights' groups disagree. A 2015 Amnesty International (AI) report said: "Shiite militias have been abducting and killing Sunni civilian men in Baghdad and around the country. These militias, often armed and backed by the government of Iraq, continue to operate with varying degrees of cooperation from government forces, ranging from tacit consent to coordinated, or even joint, operations."

Bilgay Duman, an expert on Iraqi affairs at the Middle East Strategies Research Center (ORSAM), said Hashd al-Shaabi's track record of human rights violations is not good. "Therefore, Hashd al-Shaabi's offensive into Tal Afar and the aftermath of the operation is sparking confusion among many," Duman said, adding that the Iraqi government would be responsible for it.

Hashd al-Shaabi: Legalized paramilitary group

While there seems to be no doubt about Hashd al-Shaabi's role in the Tal Afar offensive on the Iraqi front, Iraq's Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi promised the opposite in November 2016. The prime minister emphasized that Shiite paramilitary groups, such as Hashd al-Shaabi, would not be allowed to enter Tal Afar, adding that only the "72nd and 92nd brigades will enter the city."

Shortly after Prime Minister al-Abadi's pledge, the paramilitary group was legalized by the Iraqi Parliament, which voted to accord full legal status to government-sanctioned Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi militias on November 26, 2016. The law placed the militias under the command of al-Abadi and gave militiamen salaries and pensions that mirror those of the military and the police.

In addition to the Hashd al-Shaabi threat, Duman argued that the main problem may be other Shiite paramilitary groups operating independently from the Iraqi central government. "Hashd al-Shaabi has been legalized but there are other Shiite militias as well. They are the ones creating the most problems," Duman said.

The Iraqi expert is not certain as to whether such Shiite groups will be in Tal Afar. If so, Duman contends, there might be further crises in and around the town due to sectarian and ethnic divisions. "Then, noone will be able to hold the Iraqi government accountable for the crimes they commit there," he concluded.

  • shortlink copied
  • Last Update: Aug 15, 2017 10:34 am
    RELATED TOPICS
    fight-against-terrorism DEUTSCHE-BANK US-LIBYA-RELATIONS
    KEYWORDS
    politics
    The Daily Sabah Newsletter
    Keep up to date with what’s happening in Turkey, it’s region and the world.
    You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
    No Image
    In photos: The surface of Mars
    PHOTOGALLERY
    • POLITICS
    • Diplomacy
    • Legislation
    • War On Terror
    • EU Affairs
    • News Analysis
    • TÜRKİYE
    • Istanbul
    • Education
    • Investigations
    • Minorities
    • Diaspora
    • World
    • Mid-East
    • Europe
    • Americas
    • Asia Pacific
    • Africa
    • Syrian Crisis
    • İslamophobia
    • Business
    • Automotive
    • Economy
    • Energy
    • Finance
    • Tourism
    • Tech
    • Defense
    • Transportation
    • News Analysis
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Environment
    • Travel
    • Food
    • Fashion
    • Science
    • Religion
    • History
    • Feature
    • Expat Corner
    • Arts
    • Cinema
    • Music
    • Events
    • Portrait
    • Performing Arts
    • Reviews
    • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Motorsports
    • Tennis
    • Opinion
    • Columns
    • Op-Ed
    • Reader's Corner
    • Editorial
    • Photo gallery
    • Jobs
    • privacy
    • about us
    • contact us
    • RSS
    © Turkuvaz Haberleşme ve Yayıncılık 2021