‘Collective punishment’ of Sunnis irks UN; Turkey threatens to launch Iraq operation

The United Nations voiced concern on Tuesday that Kurdish authorities had forced 250 displaced Sunni Arab families to leave Kirkuk after a Daesh attack on the Kurdish-controlled city, calling the move “collective punishment.”
Lise Grande, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Iraq, told Reuters that the action came days before an expected mass exodus from Mosul.
“We were informed that two days after the attack by Daesh, the Kirkuk authorities announced that they will be expelling the (displaced Sunni Arab) civilian population and just a few hours after the announcement we understand that around 250 civilian families felt they had no choice but to leave,” Grande said.
“The United Nations is very concerned about any action that could be understood as collective punishment,” she said, adding that she was worried that the move could set a precedent.
“Those who are displaced have the right to decide when they return and where they are going to live. They cannot be expelled this is why we are so worried of this particular precedent,” Grande said.
Grande said the displaced people left toward the nearby provinces of Salahuddin, Anbar and Diyala.
Authorities in Kirkuk suspect Daesh fighters who attacked Kirkuk on Friday were helped by Sunni sleeper cells. 
Grande said the UN had no evidence that the families had helped Daesh but the timing of the move suggested it was used as a pretext to force them out. 
Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday Ankara could launch a ground operation in Iraq to remove any threats to Turkey that may arise.
“If there is a threat posed to Turkey, we are ready to use all our resources including a ground operation... to eliminate that threat,” Cavusoglu said in an interview with Kanal 24 broadcaster.
Cavusoglu referred to Turkey’s ambitious offensive in Syria as an example of how Turkey took the threat to its security seriously.
Cavusoglu said any threat against Turkey in neighboring regions of Iraq could draw a response.
“If the threat to us increases (there), we can deal with them using our rights under international law and our strength including a ground operation,” he added.

Source: Arab News