Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asserted that Baghdad will not “pardon terrorists”.

:: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi asserted that Baghdad will not “pardon terrorists”.

During his council of Ministers opening statement, Abadi stated, “the soldiers are human rights’ defenders who sacrificed themselves for the liberation of humanity and the rescue of civilians. The government supports their efforts to defend human rights and will take a stance against any violation.”

Abadi called on “humanitarian organizations to check and verify their sources and acknowledge the joy of the people of Mosul and their warm welcome to the brave Iraqi forces,” wondering about what he described as “the grief and the wailing of some amid the glorious victory of the Iraqi Forces,” and pondering about “the role played by this organizations when ISIS was slaughtering the people of Mosul and destroying everything in their way.”

Amnesty International has condemned Iraqi forces and their allies in the wake of the battle of Mosul. “The Iraqi government, at its highest levels, and the US-led coalition countries must immediately and publicly acknowledge the magnitude and seriousness of civilian casualties during the military operation they have taken to regain control of the country,” said Lynn Malouf, research director of the Beirut Regional Office for Amnesty International.

Abadi stressed in a statement not to allow for the return of the inflammatory and sectarian discourse, calling it an ISIS discourse. He emphasized that “no terrorist escapes punishment and we will not issue an amnesty for the murderous terrorists.”

Abadi stressed that “the future direction of the government should be focused on the economic, developmental and educational sector, which is the basis for the renaissance of the state and society, and the need to fight corruption, which rotten the state and society with the necessity of respecting the law above all else.”