Iraq arrests officers over 'extortion, torture' of Mosul refugee

Iraqi authorities have arrested two military officers for allegedly detaining a woman displaced from the city of Mosul in a metal container for three days to extract a bribe for her release.

The investigative committee under the authority of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi made the announcement on Thursday, The New Arab's Arabic-language service reported.

"An investigation has begun into the case of a woman who complained she was detained for three days and was not allowed to leave the Mosul frontline such as other displaced people," the statement said.

"[Two officers] bear the responsibility for violating their duties and detaining the women for no reason other than attempting to extort ten thousand US dollars,"

It added that the two officers have been referred to a military court for trial.

Local sources said the incident was not an isolated case and accused Iraqi forces of committing thousands of similar violations last year during the campaign to retake Mosul from the Islamic state group.

"While we were attempting to flee to a refugee camp, Iraqi and Kurdish forces forced us to pay up to $300 per person to get away from the frontline," Ahmad Suyan, a displaced person from Ninawa Province, told The New Arab.

The Iraqi military ousted IS from the northern city of Mosul July last year.

The gruelling and bloody offensive left Iraq's second city in ruins, with around 380,000 people still displaced from their homes.

In July, Human Rights Watch said hundreds of Iraqi "terrorism" suspects were held for months by Baghdad authorities in east Mosul.

Children were among those held at a Mosul detention facility, HRW said, as it called on Iraqi authorities to release all minors who had not been charged with a crime.