Mar 22, 2006

New York - A United Nations report Wednesday raised concern about human rights in Iraq, citing suspicions that death squads acting 'within the structures' of the interior ministry had carried out killings in and around Baghdad.

The report by the UN mission to Iraq accused Iraqi security forces, particularly police and special forces, of collusion with militias to commit human rights violations.

It pointed to 'many bodies' found since January that bore hallmarks of extrajudicial executions. It said US-led multinational forces in Iraq had arrested 22 special police commandos riding in a van with a man they were going to execute.

'Allegations that death squads operate in the country grew stronger following the discovery by the multinational forces and Iraqi security forces of a suspicious group acting within the structures of the ministry of interior,' noted the report by the UN mission in Iraq.

It said the Iraqi government promised to investigate.

The report said the human rights situation in Iraq is a matter of 'serious concern' and had worsened after the bombing of the holy Shiite mosque in Samarra on February 22, which triggered killings, abductions and retaliation against Sunni mosques.

It also questioned the legality of detentions of suspects by the multinational forces and Iraq's ministries of defence, interior and labour and social affairs.

The US-led multinational forces are detaining more than 14,220 people of the total of 29,565 reported by the ministry of justice at the end of February.

'Overcrowding and the lack of of judicial oversight remain problematic,' the report said.

© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur