BAGHDAD — An Iraqi commander says allegations that an elite interior ministry unit fighting the Islamic State group in Mosul abused civilian detainees are "incorrect."
Abdul Amir al-Muhammadawi, spokesman for the Emergency Response Division, said Thursday his unit released two videos of interviews with civilians allegedly tortured in which they refute the report by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine published over the weekend.
The report, authored by an Iraqi photographer reportedly embedded with the unit, claims he witnessed killing, torture and rape of ISIS suspects.
The interior ministry announced the launch of an investigation into the human rights violations Tuesday.
Iraq's Emergency Response Division — an elite unit that answers to the Interior Ministry — has played a key role in the Mosul operation with close backing from the U.S.-led coalition.
