Iraq | IHL in Action

Three adult men carry a casket out of an ICRC vehicle, across a plain landscape.

New | Iraq, Exhumation and Identification of the Dead

Since 2019, Iraqi authorities, with the support of international organizations, have commenced efforts to exhume, identify and hand over to families the remains of those who died during the conflict between Da’esh/ISIL and Iraq.

The motivations behind such compliance with IHL may include bringing closure to the families, honouring the victims, responding to calls by civil society and activists, and contributing to peace and stability in Iraq. This case refers to events occurred in Sinjar from 2019 to 2020.

A landscape image of the Mosul Dam in Iraq, among a background of mountains.

New | Iraq, Protection of the Mosul Dam

In August 2014, the United States coordinated its airpower with Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi Army ground forces to retake the highly fragile Mosul Dam in Iraq from the Islamic State, thereby respecting the heightened protections afforded to critical infrastructure under IHL and avoiding a potential humanitarian disaster.

A landscape image of the Ur monument in Iraq. The structure is large and rectangular shaped, sitting against a blue sky.

Iraq, United States Protects the Ziggurat at Ur, a World Heritage Site

In 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, the United States decided not to attack Iraqi aircraft positioned next to the World Heritage Site, Ziggurat at Ur due to the risk of damage. This action, which demonstrated respect for cultural property and the principles of distinction and proportionality, may have been influenced by the United States’ experiences during previous conflicts and the desire to maintain a positive public opinion.

Iraq, Availability of Legal Advisers

During the invasion of the US-led coalition in Iraq in 2003, legal advisers reviewed operational decisions and targeting procedures with the purpose of ensuring compliance with IHL.

Iraq, IHL Training Involving Kurdish Armed Groups

Soldiers and commanders of different Kurdish armed groups received training on IHL from different actors. Subsequently, Kurdish authorities issued a new Decree and amended the existing normative framework in order to enforce the compliance with IHL and the protection of civilians.

Iraq, Peshmerga Forces’ First Code of Conduct

In 2014, immediately after the commencement of liberating ISIS controlled areas, a Presidential Decree was issued in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq which instructed Peshmerga armed forces to comply with IHL. This was followed by consultations between IHL experts and the commanders, capacity building activities for 40 individuals to conduct IHL trainings within the armed forces, as well as the distribution of manuals on IHL for Peshmerga armed forces. In 2018, Peshmerga forces adopted their first code of conduct.

Iraq, Reform in Iraqi Detention Facilities Leads to Family Visitation to Detainees in Camp Bucca

The U.S. military reformed their detention policies in Iraq’s detention facilities in order to allow an increased number of family visits to Iraqi prisoners at Camp Bucca in Umm Qasr.

Iran/Iraq, Cooperation in the Search for and Repatriation of Mortal Remains after the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)

In 2008 the governments of Iraq and Iran signed with the ICRC a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a clear framework for collecting and sharing information about missing persons and the returning of mortal remains. Accordingly, a series of measures aimed at improving searches, protect mass graves and establish a proper treatment of the dead in the armed conflict were launched.

Iraq, Computer Modelling in Collateral Damage Estimates and Choice of Weapons

In the planning of attacks in Iraq in 2003, the US and the UK Air Forces reduced the danger to civilians by resorting to computer modelling to assess collateral damage, by modifying their targeting and improving weaponry and technology.