(Foreign Policy) Tirana Hassan - Shiite militias have assumed a national military role since the Iraqi government's security forces crumbled this summer. They are using the fight against the Islamic State as a pretext to destroy Sunni Arab communities. We met dozens of displaced families from more than 20 predominantly Sunni villages within a 10-mile radius of Yengija. They all provided similar, chilling accounts of the systematic destruction of their villages by government-backed militias determined to prevent Sunni Arabs from returning. The Baghdad authorities have turned a blind eye to these militias' crimes, while foreign governments have ignored the militias' use of their military aid to pursue their campaign against Sunni Arabs.
2014-11-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive