The so-called Popular Mobilization Units made up primarily of Shiites aligned with Tehran have taken on a kind of semi-official status in Iraq’s security forces, fighting at the tip of the spear during recent anti-ISIS campaigns in the cities of Tikrit and Ramadi. In some cases, they are led by men accused by the U.S. of being responsible for attacks on Americans.
But Sunni fighters are expressing dismay at the idea of being stationed with Shiites, even if both parties share a common enemy in ISIS.
“I will not fight with the Hashad,” one Sunni tribal fighter in an interview with NBC News, using the Arabic name for the Popular Mobilization Units. “They … take their orders from Iran. It’s a shame on me if I fight next to an Iranian.”…
Experts say there is a portion of the Sunni population that remains anti-ISIS and is willing to fight. But the question is whether they’ll be prepared to go into combat alongside the Shiite militias, including some which have a record of human-rights abuses.
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