hiite Militias Tout Christian Brigade Heading To Mosul
Banned from entering the city themselves, Shiite militias still want to show Iraqis they are part of the largest military operation Iraq has faced in years
A Christian Iraqi special forces soldier holds a cross in Bartella, east of Mosul — REUTERS
Shiite
militias, kept out of the Mosul offensive for fear of
igniting sectarian tensions in the mainly Sunni city, are touting a
Christian brigade under their umbrella they now claim has joined the
battle to take back the city from the Islamic State. The Babylon
brigades are said to be 1,000-strong and operate under the umbrella of the Popular Mobilization Units, the Iranian-backed and funded Shiite militia.
The PMU, which has a strong social media presence it has used to shore up support among Iraq’s Shiites, has in the past displayed the bodies of dead ISIS fighters. It announced Thursday that a special unit of the Babylon Brigades was heading toward Mosul’s west and posted images and videos it claims show a military convoy of Christian militia members.
Images of Babylon brigade members heading to Mosul
There are already Christian soldiers in the official Iraqi army. Several of them were photographed near the town of Bartella, east of Mosul, earlier this week.
Elsewhere, there were reports that a Shiite militia affiliated with the PMU destroyed a Sunni mosque in Rutba, western Iraq and abducted 20 civilians from the town. Rutba was attacked by ISIS fighters in what was seen as an effort to divert attention from the campaign against the group in Mosul, but they failed to keep the town, losing it to a Shiite militia only three days later. Sunnis in the region are already worried that the operation in Mosul will lead to more sectarian bloodshed and acts of revenge against the local Sunni population.
The Mosul campaign is nearing the end of its second week. According to Reuters the Iraqi army is attempting to secure a town south of Mosul where ISIS has executed people to deter residents from trying to escape. Many of those killed were reported to be former members of the Iraqi police and army, taken from villages the ISIS has had to retreat from as the offensive to Mosul neared.
The PMU, which has a strong social media presence it has used to shore up support among Iraq’s Shiites, has in the past displayed the bodies of dead ISIS fighters. It announced Thursday that a special unit of the Babylon Brigades was heading toward Mosul’s west and posted images and videos it claims show a military convoy of Christian militia members.
Images of Babylon brigade members heading to Mosul
There are already Christian soldiers in the official Iraqi army. Several of them were photographed near the town of Bartella, east of Mosul, earlier this week.
Elsewhere, there were reports that a Shiite militia affiliated with the PMU destroyed a Sunni mosque in Rutba, western Iraq and abducted 20 civilians from the town. Rutba was attacked by ISIS fighters in what was seen as an effort to divert attention from the campaign against the group in Mosul, but they failed to keep the town, losing it to a Shiite militia only three days later. Sunnis in the region are already worried that the operation in Mosul will lead to more sectarian bloodshed and acts of revenge against the local Sunni population.
The Mosul campaign is nearing the end of its second week. According to Reuters the Iraqi army is attempting to secure a town south of Mosul where ISIS has executed people to deter residents from trying to escape. Many of those killed were reported to be former members of the Iraqi police and army, taken from villages the ISIS has had to retreat from as the offensive to Mosul neared.
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