Sectarian conflict looms as Iraq rallies against ISIS

BAQUBA - Iraq's Shia-majority government is scrambling to counter a devastating offensive by radical Sunni militants, reinforcing security forces by tightening ties with militias and calling on citizens to take up arms.

The moves could help slow the rapid advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) toward Baghdad, but they also risk aggravating sectarian divisions. ISIS has been successful largely because it has been able to exploit Iraq's dysfunctional politics, which have been polarized largely along ethnic and sectarian lines.