NEW YORK, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Armed Shiite groups have threatened to kill Palestinian refugees living in Baghdad if they do not leave Iraq within 72 hours, Human Rights Watch charged.
The organization said it had urged the Iraqi government and the U.S.-lead coalition to investigate the alleged threats and improve security for Palestinians in Iraq.
Human Rights Watch said it had obtained a new leaflet bearing the name of the Al-Bayt Revenge Brigade -- Rapid Response Units, warning that "there is no place for Palestinians in the Iraq of Ali, Hassan, and Hussain." The names refer to three Shiite imams.
Virtually all Palestinians are Sunni Muslim, HRW said.
The leaflet also warns that "our swords can reach necks" and urges Palestinians to leave within 72 hours.
Baghdad residents told HRW that trucks with loudspeakers passed through the al-Dura neighborhood Sept. 25 and Sept. 30, issuing death threats against Palestinians.
"These death threats to Palestinians underscore the constant violence against Palestinian refugees in Iraq in the aftermath of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch.
