Iraq's Shiite Militias Are Helping To Divide Iraq

Iraqi Shiite Muslim men from Shi'ite Badr organisation march during a parade marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad, July 25, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Thaier al-Sudani

New York Times: Shiite Militia Drives Back Islamic State, but Divides Much of Iraq

CAMP ASHRAF, Iraq — At their victory rally, the Shiite militiamen used poetry, song and swagger to sweeten their celebration of an ugly battle.

More than a hundred fighters from the militia, the Badr Organization, had been killed in the farms and villages of Diyala Province in recent fighting against the Sunni extremists of the Islamic State. During the battle, thousands of residents had been forced from their homes — including Sunni families who accused Shiite paramilitary groups like Badr of forced displacement and summary executions.

WNU Editor: Sunni - Shiite animosities goes back generations, these militias can only exacerbate these tensions.