UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon noted concerns about the ongoing security crisis in Iraq to the press in Baghdad after a round of meetings with the Iraqi government today, calling on Iraq to ensure civilians are treated with respect.

The Secretary General was speaking after meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, President Fuad Masum and Speaker Saleem al-Jabouri.

Discussing the ongoing military operation to recover areas controlled by Islamic State (IS) militants, he said,

“Civilians freed from the brutality of Daesh [IS] should not have to then fear their liberators. One form of violence cannot replace another.”

Human Rights Watch recently released a report documenting abuses of the Iraqi military on civilian areas freed from IS control. Mr Ban encouraged the Iraqi government to work towards restoring the "rule of law and governance" in those areas as well as investigating alleged violations of human rights.

He also spoke about discussions with the Iraqi government regarding progress in capturing the city of Tikrit. However, the New York Times reports that the Iraqi government has exaggerated this progress and numbers of IS fighters remain significant in the city.

Considering the need for conditions of stability, Mr Ban urged Baghdad and Erbil (the oil company) to uphold their December agreement for oil-revenue sharing. He noted that he would be speaking with President Massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government later on Monday.