A/HRC/30/66
6.
After the fall of Ramadi, reports received contained allegations that ISIL had
abducted and executed a significant number of civilians and captured Iraqi security
personnel. There were also allegations that ISIL was preventing civilians from leaving the
city. By 26 May, 220,164 people had fled Ramadi and its environs.2 Large numbers of
internally displaced persons made their way towards Baghdad, Karbala and Babil
Governorates, although many were denied entry unless they had a sponsor resident.
7.
In late May, ISIL seized al-Walid border crossing between the Syrian Arab Republic
and Iraq, launched an offensive to retake Anbar and carried out attacks east of Fallujah
using vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, killing at least 17 soldiers.
8.
On 2 June, ISIL reportedly closed the gates of a dam in Ramadi, cutting water
supplies to al-Khalidiya and al-Habbaniya to the east, which were held by Iraqi security
forces and Popular Mobilization Units. Possibly as a result, the level of water in Thi-Qar
Governorate dropped, in some places critically. On 4 June, several sheikhs and tribal
leaders from Anbar reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIL after a meeting in Fallujah on 3
June. It is not clear whether support was pledged under duress. At the end of the period
under review, clashes were continuing in several areas of Anbar.
9.
The situation in Ramadi prompted the Kirkuk Provincial Council Security
Committee to stop all road movement to and from areas controlled by ISIL on 20 May. On
25 May, the main Kirkuk-Baghdad road was reopened for part of the day. On 3 June, an
explosion caused by an airstrike hit a storage facility, causing a significant number of
casualties and damage to surrounding structures. Some reports indicated that the facility
contained chemical fertilizers, while others claimed that it was used to build improvised
explosive devices. One Council member informed media outlets that 150 civilians had been
killed and wounded, including women and children, in addition to 100 ISIL militants.
10.
During the period under review, Diyala Governorate witnessed a steady increase in
attacks targeting members of its communities, culminating in May with 22 verified
incidents, including at least 28 killings and 13 abductions. In most incidents, perpetrators
remain unidentified. Explosions and attacks continued through June, with an individual
detonating a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at a security checkpoint in
Baladruz on 6 June. The incident killed at least 11 civilians and wounded 14 others.
11.
ISIL marked the one-year anniversary of the capture of Mosul, Ninewa Governorate.
It continued to have control over all aspects of everyday life in the city. Dress codes have
been imposed and freedom of movement is severely restricted. ISIL has imposed its own
education curriculum, and demands steep rents and taxes. Punishment for violating ISIL
rules is severe, often imposed by its self-appointed courts, and included flogging,
amputation, beheading, stoning, immolation and other cruel and unlawful punishment.
Reports have been received of a food scarcity in some areas under ISIL control in the
Governorate.
12.
In May, ISIL issued new instructions through mosques, pamphlets and its local radio
channel ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. According to the instructions, women are not
allowed to leave their home from dawn to sunset, and no stores, except grocery stores and
pharmacies, may open during this period. On 17 May, ISIL divided Ninewa Governorate
into three “states” – Jazeera, Tigris and Ninewa – and appointed a wali for each one. An
order was also issued preventing residents from leaving Mosul, save for medical
emergencies. In mid-June, local media reported that ISIL had banned grain exports from
Mosul and was demanding a share of harvests from farmers.
2
4
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix, Round XXI – May
2015.
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