DOHA, Qatar
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) on Wednesday voiced its concern about the situation in the Daesh-held Iraqi city of Fallujah following recent attacks by Iraqi forces and the Al-Hashd al-Shaabi Shia militia that have left “scores of civilians killed and injured.”
The IUMS called on a U.S.-led international coalition – established late last year to fight the Daesh militant group – to “ensure the safety of civilians… who are falling victim to shelling [by Iraqi forces] and Daesh terrorism.”
The IUMS, which is led by prominent Egyptian scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi, is an independent organization devoted to Islamic issues.
On Tuesday, Baghdad denied accusations by some Sunni-Muslim politicians that Iraqi government forces were carrying out random airstrikes in Daesh-controlled parts of the war-torn country.
On Monday, the Sunni bloc in Iraq’s parliament accused the Iraqi air force of dropping “barrel bombs” on residential areas of Fallujah, which is located in the western Anbar province.
At a Saturday press conference, Iraq’s Al-Wataniya coalition said that 90 civilians had been killed and 100 injured by Iraqi army shelling of Daesh-held Fallujah since Ramadan began on June 18.
