Operation Fallujah: Arrests made over 'execution of Sunni men'

Several Shia fighters embroiled in the battle to recapture Fallujah have been arrested following allegations they executed dozens of Sunni men in the city, which has been a bastion of Islamic State militants in recent months.

Some of those suspected of human rights violations during the three-week operation have been arrested over the past few days and are under investigation, said Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi.

Hadithi did not provide details over whether the arrested fighters were from the army or paramilitary forces.

Local Sunni officials and human rights groups have accused the Shia militias of capturing, torturing and killing civilians trying to flee Fallujah.

The governor of Anbar province, where the city is located, said on Sunday that 49 civilians had been killed and 643 others remained missing after fleeing the IS-held city to areas controlled by paramilitary forces.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi "issued arrest warrants against some suspects who took part in the operation a few days ago", spokesman al-Hadithi said.

"The prime minister is closely following the investigation and we are still awaiting the results."

Meanwhile, Karim al-Nouri, a spokesman for Iraq's paramilitary forces, confirmed the arrest of one fighter for alleged human rights violations, but did not provide further details.

The accusations of abuse by paramilitary forces were "mere lies aimed at distracting attention from victories on the ground", he said.

All the displaced people detained by paramilitary forces for security screening were handed to authorities, he added.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi military command announced on Sunday that key areas to the west of Fallujah had been "liberated" as Iraqi troops pushed deeper into the city from its southern edges.