ICRC: 1,300 women and children kept hostage near Mosul

Baku. 26 October. REPORT.AZ/ The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Thursday it had access to more than 1,300 foreign wives and children of suspected Islamic State militants following concerns expressed for the safety of the families held by Iraqi forces near Mosul.

Report informs International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

The neutral aid agency called on all sides in the wars in Iraq and Syria to treat detainees in line with international law that prohibits torture or executions and enshrines the right to a fair trial.

More than 300 of the detained foreign families in Iraq came from Turkey, many others from former Soviet states, such as Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Russia, according to preliminary figures from the Iraqi army.

"Currently we visit and provide humanitarian assistance to some 1,300 women and children of several dozen nationalities who are detained in Iraq near Mosul," Patrick Hamilton, ICRC deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa, told a news briefing.

“We urge all parties to the conflict in Iraq and Syria to comply with international law and not to torture them. We visit those people and help them”, Hamilton said.