The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said that dozens of families fled Sinjar district in Nineveh Governorate - north of the country - last night as a result of fights between Iraqi army and the so-called "YBS" (Sinjar Protection Forces).
Fierce fighting raged inside the district's residential areas, which is witnessing a major conflict between local and international forces, which is undergoing a massive war between local and international forces, resulting in the proliferation of weapons in the area invaded by ISIS in 2014, which perpetrated crimes against humanity against its residents.
According to preliminary information the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights received, fierce battles took place in the past hours between the Iraqi army forces and "YBS" (Sinjar Protection Units) in populated areas, exposing civilians to a great danger.
Local sources told the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights that there were civilian casualties due to the battles, which were said to have "witnessed the use of medium and heavy weapons by both sides.''
Local observers monitored the concentration of "YBS" elements inside residential neighborhoods and withdraw fights with the Iraqi army between civilian homes.
Marwan Sinjari, a local resident in the district, said in a phone call with the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights that "the members of the YBS were stationed inside civilian houses, and the Iraqi army did not care about the danger to civilians when it used heavy weapons in residential areas".
He added, "Large numbers of families fled towards other areas in Sinjar and Kurdistan Region of Iraq as a result of the battles that took place near their homes".
Moreover, Rakan Rafou, a civil society activist in Sinjar, said during a phone call with the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights, "We demand that the militants be removed from Sinjar and that the battles not be transferred to our safe areas. The clashes pose us to a great danger".
The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights makes an urgent appeal to the Iraqi government to preserve the safety of civilians and remove danger from them, as it is responsible for the safety of civilians who are inside Iraqi territory. It also urged the Iraqi army, which is the principal force in charge of the district's security, to follow international humanitarian law.
The observatory warns of the increasing wave of fleeing from the district, which is still suffering from the destruction of the caused by earlier conflicts when it was liberated from "ISIS" in the previous years.
