Iraqi Shia militia issues list of Sunni IS 'collaborators'

Shia militias have blocked the return of 150 displaced Sunnis to the recently liberated province of Diyala, saying they were suspected of associating with the Islamic State group.

A list of names of was issued by the Popular Mobilisation Militia's security committee after its fighters helped regular Iraqi forces retake control of the province from the IS.

A member of Diyala's provincial council, who requested anonymity, told al-Araby al-Jadeed: "The committee, headed by Sadiq al-Husseini, the leader of the militias, announced the names of 150 individuals who are banned from returning to their homes in Jalawla and Saadia."

The committee claimed that the Sunnis had ties with the IS, either directly or indirectly, he said, but provided not evidence to support their claims.

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The official said that the lists would be on display in the home towns of the displaced and posted at checkpoints. The committee is currently working on lists for other areas.

A member of the Sunni tribal council of Diyala said the list amounted to extrajudicial intimidation.

Hathal al-Nidawi told al-Araby: "The security committee brought charges of terrorism back to the province. We are back to square one... where is the judiciary system and the law in all this?"

Mass graves found in northern Iraq

Meanwhile, an Iraqi police officer from Salaheddin province said authorities have discovered two mass graves in northern Iraq containing a total of 125 bodies from the city of Baji.

Mohamad al-Jabouri told al-Araby that the dead included civilians and security officers.

"The joint force is attempting to identify the bodies, as most of them are badly disfigured. However, some locals gave statements that indicate that an IS firing squad executed the civilians about a month ago," he said.

The cases would be passed to a specialist team from the ministry of human rights, he said.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.