US sanctions four Iraqis for rights abuses, corruption

WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday sanctioned two Iraqi militia leaders and two former governors for human rights abuses and corruption.

The sanctions target any property they own or have an interest in that is within the United States or under the control of "US persons," as well as "any entities" in which they have a 50 percent or greater stake, the Treasury Department said.

Ahmed al-Juburi, the former governor of Iraq´s Salaheddin province, was sanctioned over corruption and has also "been known to protect his personal interests by accommodating Iran-backed proxies," Treasury said in a statement.

The two militia leaders, Rayan al-Kildani and Waad Qado, the former a Christian and the latter a member of the Shabak minority, were both sanctioned over "serious human rights abuse" by them or their organizations.

Treasury cited a video circulated in May 2018 in which Kildani "cut off the ear of a handcuffed detainee," and said that his forces have "systematically looted homes" and "reportedly illegally seized and sold agricultural land." Qado´s militia has meanwhile "extracted money from the population around Bartalla, in the Nineveh Plain, through extortion, illegal arrests, and kidnappings" and has "frequently detained people without warrants, or with fraudulent warrants."