Deserters tell of executions

2003-04-04 21:22

New York - Iraqi soldiers deserting their units have described summary executions and severe mistreatment at the hands of their commanders, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.

The New York-based rights watchdog published details of interviews with 26 Iraqi soldiers, who said they had chosen to desert as their units retreated farther from Kurdish-controlled territory in anticipation of a joint US-Kurdish advance from the north.

Human Rights Watch estimated that there were as many as 130 Iraqi deserters in the custody of the Kurdish Democratic Party in Arbil province as of Wednesday.

One Iraqi soldier gave an eyewitness account of the summary execution of 10 suspected deserters, while others said they knew of execution squads that had been formed although they had not witnessed any executions themselves.

"Some days were so hungry we would eat grass which we mixed with a little water," said a 21-year-old soldier from Baghdad whose unit was part of the Iraqi Army's Fifth Corps.

"We didnt wash ourselves for forty days. Often there was no drinking water and they would give us jerry cans and tell us to go and fill them from the pools of water that gathered on the ground when it rained," he said.

All of the deserters interviewed by Human Rights Watch were men between the ages of 20 and 38. They put their monthly wages at two dollars, although some said they had received no payment for months.

Forced to crawl across stones

Their testimony included descriptions of vicious punishments, including beatings and being forced to crawl across stones on their bare knees. They were frequently threatened with execution if they tried to escape.

One soldier recounted how a colonel had gathered several units in an open space to watch as he shot 10 deserters one by one.

"This is what happens to betrayers of our nation," the soldier quoted the officer as saying.

Having deserted, the soldiers said their main concern was for their families.

"I worry most about my pregnant wife," said a 26-year-old from Baghdad whose unit was part of the Fourth Corps.

"I havent seen her for four months now. We live near a large army base in Baghdad and I am sure the Americans have bombed it. I have no idea if she is alive or dead," he said.

- AFX