Iraq probes possible rights violations

BAGHDAD — Iraq said Monday it had launched an investigation into possible human rights abuses against civilians fleeing the Islamic State-held city of Fallujah as a senior U.N. official said more than 7,300 people had left the city in the last two days.

Iraqi government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said some fighters suspected of violating human rights during the 3-week-old operation to retake the city have been arrested over the past few days and are under investigation.

Lise Grande, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, said the U.N. estimates that there had been about 90,000 people in Fallujah, and between 42,000 and 43,000 have now fled — including about 4,000 on Sunday and 3,300 on Monday.

So there could still be about 50,000 civilians trapped inside the city, she said, “and nothing is more important than protection of those civilians.”

Fallujah has been under Islamic State control for over two years and is the last major city in western Iraq still held by the extremist group. The militants have threatened anyone who attempts to flee with death and last week reportedly shot at a group of civilians attempting to escape across the Euphrates River.

Al-Hadithi, the Iraqi spokesman, did not provide details on whether the arrested fighters are from the army or government-sanctioned paramilitary forces, which are mainly made up of Shiite militias.