Before leaving a wiry junior officer named Taha asked the commander: ‘Sir what do we do with the two detainees?’

The prisoners had crossed the frontlines the night before and taken shelter with a civilian who denounced them to the army.

‘We tried to hand them to the intelligence service but they refused to take them’.

‘Yes’ the commander said ‘they told me: ‘You deal with detainees from your end. We can’t hold them because of human rights and Red Cross inspections’.

‘We worked on them all night’ said the junior officer.

‘One eventually confessed that he was with Daesh [Isis] but he said he left them two months ago’.

At that everyone in the room laughed.

‘The other’ the junior officer continued ‘we beat him hard but he didn’t confess so I think he must be innocent’.

‘Just finish them’ said a major.

‘Release one and finish the other’ the commander said.

The sentence issued – now came the question of who would be bestowed with the honour of executing an Isis fighter.

Kifah – a tall and lean soldier – stood next to the table and asked to be given the prisoner.

But the junior officer suggested that they gift the prisoner to a captain who was still grieving the loss of his brother – killed by Isis a month ago.

‘Call him and give him the detainee’ said the commander – getting up from his chair.

The officers rose swiftly and stood to attention as he made his way to the living room where tea was to be served.

(cont..)

Source: After the liberation of Mosul, an orgy of killing | World news | The Guardian