Shia militias spark furor in disputed territories
Iran-backed militias are integral to the battle against IS militants and infamous for atrocities against Sunnis; now, they are also in conflict with Iraqi Kurds.
Iraqi federal troops and members of their Kurdish and Shiite militia allies climb up Adhaim dam after recapturing it from Islamic State (IS) group militants in the ethnically mixed Diyala province, on Nov. 14, 2014. (YOUNIS AL-BAYATI/AFP/Getty Images)
JALULA - Firing rifles into the air from more than 50 Humvees, a convoy of militiamen rolled through the main street of Kifri, 120 kilometers southeast of Kirkuk city, on Nov. 29 – arriving without warning in Kurdish-controlled Iraq.
Two local Kurdish security officials and multiple eyewitnesses said that Kifri residents lined the highway, hurling abuse, rocks and water bottles at the Shia forces. Unverified videos posted to social media also captured the scene. Clashes between the local population and the militiamen followed, with gunshot wounds to several residents and a local policeman, one of the officials said.
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