Absent government, fragile truce holds in Tuz Khurmatu
A deal negotiated between Shia militia and Kurdish Peshmerga leaders, brokered in part by an Iranian official, has for now tempered sectarian violence.
Peshmerga and Badr Brigades take positions against IS militants in Tuz Khurmatu on Oct. 30, 2014. Cleared of IS militants now, the two groups are part of a protracted power struggle for Tuz. (ALI MUKARREM GARIP/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
TUZ KHURMATU - Days into a ceasefire negotiated between rival armed forces, Tuz Khurmatu is relatively quiet with only limited violations. But the militarization of the town, simmering rage between its communities, and the persistent lack of formal government authority risks violence that could consume the area.
Last Thursday, a disgruntled state-funded Shia militia opened fire at a Kurdish Peshmerga checkpoint that it claimed was illegal, and the dispute rapidly escalated into a siege of the town's hospital, a firefight throughout multiple neighborhoods, and dozens dead and injured, including civilians.
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