Iraq's Anbar tribes demand Shia militias leave Fallujah battle

Iraqi tribes in Anbar province have asked Baghdad to remove an alliance of Shia militias from the ongoing offensive in the Sunni-majority city of Fallujah.

Pro-government forces are attempting to take the city from Islamic State group militants, but after initial successes the offensive has slowed.

The Anbar Provincial Council told Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday that the Popular Mobilisation Forces that are operating on the periphery of IS-held Fallujah must leave immediately to stop revenge attacks on Sunni civilians.

It follows reports that pro-government militants are beating civilians fleeing the city, and that hundreds more might have been murdered by fighters.

"Violations have taken place against civilians fleeing from Fallujah," said Sabah Karhut, head of the Anbar Provincial Council, in a statement. "They have experienced the most horrific forms of torture at the hands of unruly members of the [Popular Mobilsation Forces]."

He called on Abadi to remove the militias from Iraq's eastern Anbar province and allow local Sunni tribal fighters to take over their role.

"We must find out what happened to the 600 young men missing from the towns of Saqlawiya and Garma. No liberation took place there, rather the killing and torture of civilians who fled to armed forces in the hopes of being rescued only to meet such a fate," Karhut added.

On Saturday, Iraqi forces and Popular Mobilisation Forces' militias recaptured the towns of Saqlawiya and Garma, which lies around 10 kilometres north-west of Fallujah.

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Local activists said that hundreds of Sunni civilians have since been killed in the town by the paramilitary organisation dominated by Tehran-backed Shia militias.

The UN human rights chief has flagging "extremely distressing, credible reports" that Iraqis fleeing Fallujah are facing torture, beatings and summary executions.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein on Tuesday cited witness accounts that armed groups backing Iraqi security forces have detained some men and teenage boys leaving Fallujah with force that at times "degenerates" into abuse.

Zeid acknowledged that Iraqi forces have a "legitimate interest in vetting individuals fleeing IS-controlled areas" to make sure they don't pose a security risk, but said official authorities should do so not militants.

"[There must be] clear and cogent evidence to the contrary," he said, and urged the army to protect civilians.

Iraq's Shia militias have so far been operating on the periphery of Fallujah but a leader from the group has warned that Shia fighters might enter the city if the army doesn't take the centre, soon.

Some of the militias are thought to answer directly to Tehran, while several groups are considered close to Iraq's Marjaiyah - or Shia religious leadership.

A spokesman put the number of Popular Mobilsation Force fighters involved at the beginning of the operation at 30,000.