Rohingyas, Yazidis. Waging War Against Civilians. Waging War And Using Civilians As Shields

     Civilian populations, no matter who they are, no matter where they are, must be protected. It is unacceptable for civilians to be deliberately targeted and harmed by any armed group, be it from an armed militia or from the army of a government.

      In the past few years, the Yazidis were mass murdered by Islamists. Yazidi women and girls were taken as slaves by Islamists simply because they belong to a different religion. Many Islamists believe that Islam gives them the right to murder, brutalize and rape those considered polytheists. Thousands of Yazidi women and children are still in the hands of brutal Islamists that are raping and torturing them. 

       Rohingyas are being murdered and driven out from Myanmar. The Rohingyas are Muslims living as a minority in a Buddhist majority country. Many minorities face persecution in the countries where they live. Minorities the world over are vulnerable. Rohingyas and Yazidis right now are more than vulnerable. Their safety and protection must become a world priority. 

       Deliberately attacking and harming civilian populations is always wrong. There are no exceptions. 

        Deliberating waging war from civilian populations and using civilians as the cover for armed activity is also wrong without exception. When Islamist groups or anyone wage war from civilian populations, hiding amongst civilians, it is they that are responsible for the loss of civilian lives. Too many falsely equate the deliberate attacking of civilian populations with the killing of civilians that results when armed groups wage war and use civilian populations as shields.
        When Boko Haram, ISIS, Al Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Abu Sayyaf, Al Shabazz, and all terror groups that wage war from civilian populations, use civilians as shields, it is they that bear responsibility for civilian casualties.
          It is always wrong to wage war using civilians as cover or shields.
          It is always wrong for any armed group to deliberately attack and harm civilian populations.
          The Rohingyas need protection.
          The Yazidi women and children must be freed.
          Civilians must not be deliberately attacked or harmed.
          Civilians must not be used as shields by attackers.