An Iraq mosque was reportedly struck by an airstrike last week during the Islamic State's diversionary attack on Kirkuk, killing at least 13 women and children, and leading Human Rights Watch to call for an investigation.
Witnesses said they believe an airstrike was involved because of the scale of the damage and because an airplane had been heard nearby at the time, according to the BBC News.
Human Rights Watch said the bombing happened on Friday on the women's side of the al-Khanli mosque and said there wasn't a military target near it. The worshippers were observing the Muslim holy month of Moharram.
"Even in the heat of battle, armed forces should take all feasible precautions to avoid harming civilians," said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director for Human Rights Watch.
"Iraqi forces should investigate whether this was a possible unlawful airstrike that killed civilians and report their findings. If this turns out to be their fault, they should take appropriate measures to compensate the victims."
Air Force Col. John L. Dorrian, of the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State, said in a Twitter post on Sunday that coalition forces were not involved in the airstrike.
The Iraqi military said it was looking into the incident, said BBC News.
Human Rights Watch said that while the evidence is consistent with an airstrike, it realized there was a base for Kurdish Peshmerga forces on the outskirts of Daquq and the city is within shelling range of the Islamic State.
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