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A mass grave containing the remains of 643 civilians has reportedly been discovered near a former ISIS battleground in Iraq with those inside believed to have been members of a Sunni tribe reportedly targeted by Iraqi militias.

Saudi news outletAl Arabiya said official sources had confirmed the bodies, found along the side of a road 5km north of Fallujah, belonged to the al-Muhamdah tribe a group who had disappeared in 2016 and hadnt been seen since.

The territory is believed to have been under the control of Iraqi soldiers under the banner of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, a conglomerate of militias accused by the US and Israel of being backed by Iran.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

The militias were among many to be involved in the driving out of ISIS from the country and were key to the battle of Fallujah where they fought alongside Iraqi state forces to free the city from the terror groups militants in 2016.

However shortly after the liberation of the territory, Amnesty International said at least 643 men and boys had disappeared from the region in a series of abductions by men who identified as part of the PMU.

Oil spills in Qayyarah, northern Iraq

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

Plumes of black smoke from burning oil wells hung over Qayyarah for several months

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

The burning of oil wells and oil spills have caused long term damage to the environment in Iraq

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

Experts still do not know the extent of the damage from Isis's burning of oil wells and polluting of rivers

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

Soil and water pollution is high in northern Iraq and impacting agriculture

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

There are fears if environmental damage is not taken seriously agriculture in northern Iraq could be destroyed

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

Oil spills in Qayyarah, northern Iraq

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

Plumes of black smoke from burning oil wells hung over Qayyarah for several months

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

The burning of oil wells and oil spills have caused long term damage to the environment in Iraq

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

Experts still do not know the extent of the damage from Isis's burning of oil wells and polluting of rivers

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

Soil and water pollution is high in northern Iraq and impacting agriculture

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

There are fears if environmental damage is not taken seriously agriculture in northern Iraq could be destroyed

Wim Zwijnenburg/PAX

They organisation said the civilians were held at a location they described as the yellow house, where they were tortured and held without food or water. Survivors said they were beaten around the head and body, while being accused of belonging to ISIS.

One survivor told the NGO: They didnt give us anything to drink for the first day; on the second they brought a small bottle for 10 people. They took about 300 of us to the truck; it was dirty and smelled repulsive.

I think it was used to transport farm animals before us. They handcuffed us two by two. One man died right there, I think from thirst and suffocation Others were taken out and then I could hear gunshots. Later I could also smell burning.

Following the conclusion of the battle against ISIS in the region, the grouping has strived to become an incorporated part of the Iraqi state - with the goals of the PMUs top brass increasingly shifting from the military to the political.

But international condemnation of the group has continued. While the predominantly Shia group is made up of multiple factions, a number of militias under the banner swear loyalty to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

In July Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, who recently resigned, inviting the PMU to join the Iraqi military after the US urged the group to demobilise.

And in October Israel was accused of launching a number of drone strikes against the groups bases a claim not directly addressed by the state.

More:
Mass grave containing remains of 643 civilians discovered in Iraq - The Independent

As anti-government protests continue in Iraq, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on international and regional powers to withhold arms sales to the crisis-hit county. Iraqi security forces along with unidentified masked men have been using excessive force to disperse protesters, leaving hundreds dead, according to a report released on Monday by the organization.

HRWs Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson said protesters were killed constantly and added that The U.S., U.K., and Iran cant have it both ways, calling on the Iraqi government to respect the rights of protesters while supporting the Iraqi forces killing protesters or standing by.

Iraqis have been in the streets for three months to protest the government, the U.S. and Iran. The protesters hold these actors responsible for the deterioration of economic, political and security problems across the country. Starting as a protest against high unemployment rates, energy shortages and corruption, the protests have since become mass street demonstrations. Although the Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi handed in his resignation, thousands of people continue to take to the streets every day. Moreover, certain religious groups, especially the followers of Shiite scholars, declared that they would not pledge support to any candidate proposed by the Iraqi president.

The death toll is estimated to be around 500 or more. Therefore, the HRW calls on the arms suppliers to stop delivering more weapons to Iraq. Given the level of unlawful killings by the state forces, countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and Iran that provide military and law enforcement training and support to Iraq should end such assistance until the authorities take effective action to stop the killings and hold abusers to account, its statement read.

The report underlined the fact that unidentified men were heavily involved in the massacres against civilians. Speaking to witnesses and protesters, the report indicated that these unidentified armed men were responsible for the brutal killing of dozens of protesters in Baghdad last week. The report quoted a witness as saying that as the vehicles drove through the square slowly, gunmen in plain black uniforms and civilian dress opened fire with AK-47s and PK machine guns above the protesters, before lowering and firing directly at them. According to the report, the Iraqi security forces had disappeared during the massacre but came back later for arrests. Whitson said, Theres very strong evidence that Iraqi authorities outsourced their dirty work against protesters, leaving just as the killings commenced and returning to assist with arrests. Therefore, the Iraqi government is responsible, too.

Amid the political deadlock, the Iraqi government, which is under the political influence of Iran and is largely dependent upon foreign aid, remains helpless to find a solution. In return, Iran and its proxies continue to dominate the political scene and the decisions, taken against the protesters. Therefore, it is not realistic that the HRW asks Iran to stop arms sales to Iraq. Protesters have been repeating the claim that Iranian soldiers or armed proxies were already present and efficient in the country for a long time.

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Calls on Iran to stop arms sales to protest-hit Iraq grow - Daily Sabah

The unrelenting tide of anti-government violence in Iraq including targeted killings of protesters and gruesome reprisals hasn't derailed Canadian and NATO military training missions in the country, but it has made themmore challenging, a top Canadian general told CBC News.

"I'm concerned about what has been happening in Iraq over the last number of weeks," said Lt.-Gen. Mike Rouleau, the head of Canada's overseas and domestic operations,in a year-end interview. "We'll be happy when the instability stops."

Canada leads the NATO alliance mission to train instructors at three Iraqi military schools and advise the country's defence ministry. Separately, Canadian special forces are partnered with Iraqis in the north of the country, providing counterterrorism advice and assistance in the ongoing mission to hunt down remnants of the Islamic State.

Rouleau said that, while he's not "overly concerned" about the ability of the Canadian military to complete its mission, he acknowledges the violence and uncertainty has forced it to call off some meetings and activities with distracted Iraqi government officials.

"There have been a number of meetings and engagements that have had to be cancelled," he said. "The lion's share of the business proceeds apace."

Still,Rouleausaid the crisis in Iraq has been the topic of conversations "every couple of days" between himself and his boss, Gen. Jonathan Vance, the chief of the defence staff.

Reports published in the region quote Iraqi army sourcessaying two rockets were fired at a military base near the Baghdad airport housing U.S. troops on Thursdaythe 10th such attack since late October, when the instability began.

The Canadian military has not reported a similar incident,but Rouleau said the threat of troops being hit by "indirect fire" worries him.

Still, Rouleau expressed confidence in the security measures put in place to protect Canadian troops.

The Liberal government has authorized the military to deploy up to 850 soldiers throughout the Middle East. Mostof them have been assigned to the NATO mission and the separate U.S.-led counterterrorism campaign in Iraq.

Rouleau cautioned that social and political instability is something Islamic State extremists thrive on and could exploit.

"While they have been severely set back, they are still a threat. The political instability doesn't hurt ISIS," he said, using another common name for the Islamic State. "It potentially gives them gaps and seams and vacuums and that's one of the reasons we need to stay focused on it.

"I can say with high confidencethey will seek to exploit any gaps they find. The instability is not a particularly positive thing for the defeat-ISIS mission."

The spark that ignited the ongoing protests touches on some of the fundamental problems in Iraq the NATO training mission is trying to address.

The demotion of a prominent commander in the Iraqi counterterrorism service known as the Golden Division set off the recent unrest. Abdel-Wahab al-Saadi was relegated to a desk job in the country's defence ministry and it's believed nepotism was the reason for the order to sideline him.

Creating an impartial, merit-based Iraqi defence force is one of the key goals of an international community desperate to prevent a repeat of the disaster in 2014, when the country's army and police formations melted away in the face on an Islamic State onslaught out of Syria.

Continuing with the security sector reform is crucial, Rouleau said.

"We're not talking about training people to shoot rifles," he said. "We're talking about a pretty comprehensive effort to get a sustainable Iraqi defence enterprise on its feet."

The anti-government protests, which have grown in size and violence since October, have claimed over 400 lives and led to the recent resignation of the prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

Last week, demonstrators lynched a teenage male they accused of attacking a protest camp in Baghdad. The incident happened in Baghdadand the body of the youth was hung from a traffic light.

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Violence in Iraq isn't stopping Canada's training mission there, says general - CBC.ca

WASHINGTON Vice President Mike Pencemay be "purposefully misleading" Congress about a September conversation betweenPence andUkraine's president, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee told Pence Tuesday.

In a letter to Pence, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., renewed the committee's request for the vice president to declassify information about the conversation that has been provided to the panel by Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy adviser to Pence.

Pence's office previouslyrefused the request in a Dec. 11 letter, saying it would serve no purpose.

But Schiff wrotethat if Williams' description of the Sept. 18 call between Pence and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is accurate, it "raises profound questions about your knowledge of the President's scheme to solicit Ukraine's interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election."

"And it would mean that the representation of your communications with President Zelensky, as described in your office's December 11 letter, may be purposefully misleading," Schiff wrote.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence wave to the crowd during the Trump rally in Giant Center in Hershey, Pa, Dec. 10, 2019.(Photo: Cameron Clark, York Daily Record Searchlight via USA TODAY Network)

A spokeswoman for Pence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, told MSNBC that "theres really not much value in releasing a transcript" of the call.

"We may end up releasing the vice presidents transcript," Short said. "But right now, why would we participate in this charade of a process?"

Live updates: McConnell rejects Democrats' proposal for Senate impeachment trial

Even as the House is expected to consider Wednesday whether to impeach President Donald Trump over the withholding of military assistance to Ukraine,House Democrats are continuing to pursue information they say may be relevant.

Williams, a State Department employee on loan to Pence's office, initially testified during a Novemberclosed-door briefing that Pence's Sept. 18 conversationwith Zelensky was a "very positive call." Pence reiterated to Zelensky that the delayed military aid had been released, according to Williams. She also testified that there was no discussion of the investigations that Trump had asked Zelenskyto undertake in aJuly 25 conversation.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, shakes hands with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, in Warsaw, Poland on Sept. 1, 2019. A Washinton Post article published on Oct. 2, 2019 reported President Donald Trump used Pence in his attempt to pressure the new Ukrainian president to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, but is not conclusive on how much Pence knew about Trump's efforts.(Photo: Petr David Josek, AP)

When Williams was preparing for her Nov. 19 public hearing, she recalled additional information about the Sept. 18 call that she wanted to disclose "for the sake of completeness," according to the Intelligence Committee. But Pence's office told her the additional information was classified.

While Williams submitted the supplemental material to the committee in writing,it can't be publicly released unless it is declassified.

Jennifer Williams, a foreign policy aide to Vice President Mike Pence, 2nd from left, and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, a Ukraine expert for the National Security Council, arrive to testify on Nov. 19, 2019 before the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in a public hearing in the impeachment inquiry into allegations President Donald Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate his political rivals.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

Schiff wrote in Tuesday's letter that the information is directly relevant to the two articles of impeachment the House will considerand is relevantto the committee's ongoing investigation of Trump.

In the hot seat: Democrats in Trump districts wrestle with vote of conscience on impeachment

Pence's unwillingness to declassify the information, Schiff wrote, suggests he's protecting not just Trump, but himself.

Schiff asked Pence to respond to the letter by Thursday.

Democrats have so far not subpoened Pence for any information, despite their complaints that he has yet to provide a single document they've requested.

How much did Mike Pence know: Testimony suggests effort to flag concerns

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Democrats suggest Mike Pence may be 'misleading' Congress about his call with Ukraine - USA TODAY

President Donald Trump faces imminent impeachment by the House of Representatives, but that doesnt mean hell be removed from office. For the president to be ousted from the White House via impeachment, the Senate has to convict him with a two-thirds majority a tall order, given that its currently in Republican hands.

On Wednesday, the House will debate and likely vote on two articles of impeachment that the House Judiciary Committee approved last week. The articles charge the president with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, both of which are tied to the Ukraine scandal and Trumps urging of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden.

The House is widely expected to pass those two articles a handful of Democrats are expected to deflect and vote against impeachment, while Republicans will likely hold the line. But impeaching a president doesnt immediately result in their exit from the White House. (Remember Bill Clinton, anyone?)

Once the House votes, the matter moves to the Senate, which will weigh whether to convict the president. There will be a trial, over which Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts will preside.

Beyond that, theres still some wrangling over what, exactly, the trial will look like. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell appears to have one thing in mind, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants it to go another way. And, of course, GOP senators are dealing with the presidents wants (and tweets), too.

Voxs Matt Yglesias and Andrew Prokop laid out what is and isnt delineated by law in the Senates role in impeachment and the trial:

In this trial, the House of Representatives acts as a prosecutor and chooses certain impeachment managers to argue their case in the Senate. Then, the presidents lawyers are the defense team the president does not have to appear in person and historically has not. The chief justice of the Supreme Court presides and is responsible for making procedural rulings during the trial, but the Senate can vote to overrule his decisions.

Now, though this is referred to as a trial, it is, again, a political and not legal process, so it doesnt have to follow the ordinary rules and practices of a criminal trial. Again, its up the Senate to decide how to structure it for instance, they can call witnesses to give live testimony (as they did for Andrew Johnson), or decide not to (as they did for Bill Clinton).

However the trial is structured, it ends with senators voting on the two charges and Trumps removal from office would require 67 yes votes on one or both articles.

There are currently 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats, and two independents (who generally vote with Democrats) in the Senate, meaning 20 GOP members would have to defect to convict Trump. Thats ... very unlikely to happen, to put it mildly. Multiple Republican senators have signaled that their minds are already made up on impeachment, and its unclear whether any, let alone 20, are going to vote to convict.

If the president were somehow removed from office, the line of succession would be as follows: Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. (That last scenario would mean a first lady Louise Linton.) In October, Yglesias went over nine possible impeachment scenarios, including the line of succession.

Conviction in the Senate is one way to remove the president, but its not the only one. Another option lies with the 25th Amendment of the US Constitution, which would require action from the presidents own Cabinet. Earlier this year, Prokop explained how the 25th Amendment works:

Specifically, thats Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment states that if, for whatever reason, the vice president and a majority of sitting Cabinet secretaries decide that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, they can simply put that down in writing and send it to two people the speaker of the House and the Senates president pro tempore.

Then the vice president would immediately become acting president, and take over all the presidents powers.

Let that sink in one vice president and any eight Cabinet officers can, theoretically, decide to knock the president out of power at any time.

If the president wants to dispute this move, he can, but then it would be up to Congress to settle the matter with a vote. A two-thirds majority in both houses would be necessary to keep the vice president in charge. If that threshold isnt reached, the president would regain his powers.

If removing the president by impeachment is unlikely, this is an even more improbable scenario. Only two presidents have ever been impeached by Congress: Johnson and Clinton, neither of whom were convicted and removed from office. Richard Nixon resigned prior to his impeachment in the House, though he likely would have been impeached and later removed from office.

But the 25th Amendment has never been invoked to remove a sitting president. In other words, if Trump goes, it will probably be the result of the ballot box in 2020.

Read more from the original source:
Trump is likely to be impeached, but he wont be removed from office by the House impeachment vote - Vox.com