Iraq

Last Update: May. 21, 2009

The continued, widespread and systematic violence in Iraq led us to incorporate it an an Area of Concern for 2008 and we will monitor ongoing developments, particularly in light of the new agreement governing US forces and the possibility of an eventual US withdrawal in 2010 and 2011.

Even though security improved in 2008, the war in Iraq continues with atrocities committed against civilians by members of sectarian militias, Al Qaeda in Iraq, criminal gangs and Iraqi government forces.

During 2008, the Iraq Body Count estimates that more than 9,000 Iraqi civilians were killed, part of the nearly 100,000 who have died due to violence since 2003. Over 2.77 million Iraqis are internally displaced and 2 million more have fled overseas, creating one of the world's largest refugee crisis.

As 2009 begins, residents of Iraq remain at risk of bombings (including IED detonations and suicide bombings), summary executions, ethnic intimidation including 'soft' ethnic cleansing* and torture. Civilians are also affected by the tactics of Coalition forces, falling victim to the use of overwhelming force and misidentification during counterinsurgency operations.

Iraqi civilians are targeted due to their ethnic identification, religious identity, residence in mixed ethno-sectarian communities, political affiliation, perceived cooperation with coalition forces and status as non-combatants.

^{* Soft ethnic cleansing is when one ethnic group tries to purge the territory of another ethnic group on the basis of political, economic, and/or other historically-rooted reasons.}

Background on Iraq

Despite roots extending back decades, including a history of Sunni-dominated politics, crimes against humanity (including ethnic cleansing and the genocidal Anfal campaign) committed by former President Saddam Hussein and Hussein's extreme violence against his own citizens, the current violence in Iraq can be traced to the period following the US-led invasion of 2003.

In March 0f 2003, the US-led coalition began combat operations against the Iraqi government, which was quickly defeated in conventional battles. By the beginning of May 2003, President Bush had declared combat operations over, but violence continued. Throughout 2004 and 2005, attacks in Iraq began to shift from military targets to civilians. Suicide bombings against groups of Shi'a civilians increased and Iraqis were killed in coalition offensives in urban centers such as Fallujah.

As 2006 began, it appeared that Iraq was creeping towards a full-scale civil war as bombings continued throughout the country, highlighted by the February attack on the Al-Aksari Mosque, a Shi'a holy site in Samarra. The bombing sparked riots causing at least 1,300 deaths.

While the bombings during 2006 captured the world's headlines, sectarian militias, including the Madhi army and former members of the ruling Ba'athist party summarily executed numerous political opponents and members of other ethno-sectarian groups. These militias were also able to extensively infiltrate the Iraqi security forces, further undermining security.

In 2007, a new US counterinsurgency strategy, coupled with an increase in US troops and the rise of the Sunni Awakening movement began to reduce the levels of violence in Iraq. Between 2007 and 2008, suicide bombings decreased and civilian casualties dropped from nearly 24,000 to just over 9,000. Despite the new-found security, members of Iraq's small minority groups, including Mandaeans, Yazidis and Chaldeans (Assyrian Christians) have been extensively targeted throughout the country. As recent bombings in Baghdad illustrate, the war in Iraq remains incredibly violent.

For more information about Iraq, visit our Suggested Reading Materials page or read the International Crisis Group report, Failed Responsibility and the Center for Strategic and International Studies report, Iraq's Sectarian and Ethnic Violence and its Evolving Insurgency (PDF)

Who are the parties to the conflict?

Extreme members of both Sunni and Shi'a militia are driving ethno-sectarian violence against Iraqi civilians. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), "both Sunni and Shi'a armed groups carry out direct attacks on civilians ... making no distinction between civilians and combatants. Such systematic or widespread attacks against a civilian population are tantamount to crimes against humanity."

Sunni Groups. Radical groups such as the Association of Muslim Scholars and the Iraqi Islamic Party have allegedly fostered attacks against Shi'a and other minority groups. Al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) also conducts large-scale attacks against civilians and recent research has shown that they carry out the largest number of suicide bombings.

Shi'a Groups. Radical groups such as the Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army as well as the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council have led attacks against Sunni and other minority groups.

Other groups who directly or indirectly harm civilians in Iraq are:

Minority Groups. Kurdish and other minority groups have retaliated against Sunni and Shi'a attacks and have also instigated attacks to reinforce territorial claims, particularly in Iraq's disputed northern regions.

US and Iraqi government forces. As a result of counterinsurgency operations, both US and Iraqi forces have harmed innocent civilians.

Stories from the conflict

Victim describing a suicide attack in Kurdistan:

"Nobody thought something like that could happen. We feared only a car bomb outside, and we took precautions for that. But the technical skill of those terrorists was high. ... Just before 11:00am, I heard a huge explosion and I saw fire. It was like thunder. I lost my mind for a few seconds. ... My leg was broken. I tried to straighten my leg but I didn't know what had happened to my head. I saw bodies on the ground but I didn't know if they were dead or alive..."

—"A Face and a Name: Civilian Victimis of Insurgent Groups in Iraq,"

Human Rights Watch, October 2005

Reports on Iraq

Additional links about Iraq

For More Information on Iraq, Click Here

Videos about Iraq

Featured Video: The Iraqi Refugee Crisis

The War In Iraq Has Caused The Fastest Growing Refugee Crisis in the World

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