The U.S. government needs to conduct independent and impartial investigations into possible unlawful killings of civilians and use of excessive force by U.S. military during operations in Iraq, Human Rights Watch said today.
In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Human Rights Watch said that it was unaware of any Pentagon investigations—at least above the level of the unit commander—into numerous cases of excessive and indiscriminate use of force that Human Rights Watch last year documented in Falluja and Baghdad and presented to the Pentagon.
“The military’s failure to investigate possible unlawful use of force creates a climate of impunity that ultimately undermines security,” said Joe Stork, Washington director of Human Rights Watch’s Middle East and North Africa division. “Serious violations that we’ve documented have been swept under the rug. It’s time for the United States to account for these civilian casualties.”
Human Rights Watch investigated several incidents in Falluja in April
2003 in which U.S. forces killed some 20 Iraqi civilians and wounded scores more. The report, “Violent Response: The U.S. Army in al- Falluja,” concluded that U.S. troops used automatic weapons fire in an indiscriminate and excessive manner.
In a separate report, Human Rights Watch investigated civilian deaths in Baghdad caused by U.S. troops between May 1 and September 30, 2003.
The report, “Hearts and Minds: Post-war Civilian Deaths in Baghdad Caused by U.S. Forces,” documents cases in which U.S. forces appear to have used excessive or indiscriminate force resulting in civilian deaths at checkpoints, during raids or after U.S. soldiers came under attack.
