A/HRC/28/18 accused of banditry. Other documents attributed to ISIL revealed that in Al-Qaim, Anbar governorate, an ISIL soldier’s hand was cut off for theft. Owing to lack of access to ISILcontrolled areas, and the complete breakdown of telecommunications in Mosul, it was not possible for the mission to follow up those cases. B. Violations perpetrated by other parties to the conflict 50. The mission gathered information from multiple credible sources highlighting alleged violations of international humanitarian and violations and abuses of human rights law by ISF and associated armed groups in their counter-terrorism efforts to defeat ISIL. It is reasonable to conclude that those forces carried out extrajudicial killings, torture and abductions and forcibly displaced a large number of people, often with impunity. 51. Since the fall of Mosul, various armed groups have become an integral component of the Government’s response to ISIL, with the line between regular and irregular proGovernment forces, and particularly between Popular Mobilization volunteers and militia becoming increasingly blurred. As a result, the mission was not always able to clearly determine which group was directly involved in reported incidents or identify the chain of command. A number of victims interviewed by the mission stressed that militia groups are in de facto command over regular forces. Such claims could not be independently verified. Additional information is needed to establish the link between some militia forces and the Government. The Government, however, has the obligation to exercise due diligence in protecting persons under its jurisdiction. 1. Extrajudicial killings, abductions and torture 52. Between June and August 2014, a series of attacks occurred in the Diyala governorate when militia, at times jointly with ISF, waged a retaliatory campaign against members of the Sunni community. Numerous victims and witnesses described a number of incidents in the villages of Baquba, Imam Weis and Sinsil, which, they alleged, all specifically targeted Sunnis. In mid-June, fleeing armed forces allegedly set fire to an army base in Sinsil where 53 Sunnis were being held. Witnesses discovered their bodies: some were charred beyond recognition; others were only partially burnt, revealing gunshot wounds, severe bruises and broken limbs.17 53. On 16 June, at least 43 prisoners from the Al-Wahda police station in Baquba were allegedly summarily executed by gunshots to the head. Some victims had broken limbs, suggesting torture.18 54. On 22 August, militia members and Iraqi police allegedly carried out two consecutive attacks against the Musab Ibn Umair mosque in Imam Weis village, killing 34 civilians, including a woman and a 17-year-old boy, who were attending Friday prayers. An investigation has been launched; the findings are yet to be made public. 55. The mission received multiple allegations that members of militia and ISF executed at least 70 Sunni civilians in different locations in Barwana, Diyala governorate, on 26 January 2015. The bodies were reportedly removed to an unknown location and the victims’ families were unable to retrieve them. Other civilians arrested on the same day allegedly remain unaccounted for. The Government has announced an investigation. 17 18 12 Several militia groups were reportedly present in Sinsil following the fall of Mosul on 10 June 2014. Information suggests that the massacre was carried out by militia members and Iraqi police.