Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 16 February 2015

In response to a mass beheading of Egyptian Coptic Christians, Egypt has carried out air strikes against the Islamic State militant group (also known as ISIS) based in Libya. The air force commander of Libya says it also undertook bombings. Iraqi civilians are being hammered by ISIS and then by pro-government militias in areas seized from ISIS. Abuses by militias allied with Iraqi security forces in Sunni areas have escalated in recent months. Residents have been forced from their homes, kidnapped, and in some cases summarily executed. Caught between the Sunni and Shia extremists, an influential Sunni sheikh, Qassem al-Janabi, had believed he could help save his people from both sides and urged the Sunni majority in Latifiyya not to back ISIS, no matter how many relatives were murdered by Shia militias. He and his son were killed on Saturday. A gunman who may have been "inspired by militant Islamist propaganda issued by Islamic State" has attacked a cafe and a synagogue in Copenhagen, claiming two lives before being shot dead by police. A ceasefire supposed to come into effect in eastern Ukraine at the weekend already seems to be in trouble, as Russia-backed rebels have announced they would not observe the truce at the town Debaltseve. Both sides in the conflict have used cluster munitions, to devastating effect on civilians. Despite renewed promises by both the South Sudanese government and opposition forces that they will stop using child soldiers, a new report shows that both sides continue to recruit and use children in combat. Italy has rescued over 2000 migrants from the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast. This follows the death of 300 at sea last week. With perhaps 210,000 killed and millions made homeless, Syria's conflict may seem to have few heroes. Here are some: the unpaid "white helmet" rescue teams.