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Iraq's Parliament Legalizes Shiite Militias as a Government Force
(AP-Washington Post) Hamza Hendawi and Qassim Abdul-Zahra - Iraq's parliament on Saturday voted to legalize state-sanctioned Shiite militias long accused of abuses against minority Sunnis. The militias have now become an "independent" force that is part of the armed forces and will benefit from salaries and pensions identical to those of the military and police. The legislation was rejected by Sunni Arab politicians. Most of the Shiite militias are backed by Iran. Their ranks significantly swelled after Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called for jihad against IS in June 2014. They now number over 100,000 men and fight with heavy weaponry, including tanks, artillery and rocket launchers.