Sadr, whose supporters fought the US occupation forces 10 years ago, are the most opposed to the entry of foreign troops into Iraq. In fact, Sadr had threatened that he would reconfigure armed factions to fight foreign troops in the event that ground forces intervened in fighting IS.
Sunni politicians in the provinces of Anbar and Salahuddin, which are experiencing heavy fighting after IS dominated large areas, demanded the return of US soldiers for the liberation of cities where the organization is committing great crimes and where taxes are being imposed.
The policy of Sadr — whose supporters fought amongst one another for nearly two years — was said to take a moderate turn in dealing with minorities in Iraq, especially the Sunnis. Sadr said that former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's policy made them fall prey to Sunni and Shiite extremism.
On Sept. 15, Sadr called on the Iraqi government “not to resort to the occupier, whoever it was, even if it is under the pretext of fighting IS,” and went so far as to describe IS as “a product fabricated by the United States and its colonial and deconstruction mentality.”
Sadr was the first Shiite politician to refuse the return of foreign troops into the country. In the event of the intervention of US forces, he called on the men fighting under the name of Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigades) in IS-controlled areas to “withdraw from those areas as soon as possible.” He said, “Resorting to a tyrant to face another tyrant is forbidden.”
Karhout declined the entry of Shiite militias fighting alongside Iraqi security forces to Anbar province and said, “About 20,000 tribal members are fighting IS.” He stressed, however, that these “do not have the required reinforcement and they need governmental support.”
Karhout, who described his meeting with Sadr in Najaf on Oct. 19 as “fruitful,” added, “The debate with Sadr about the entry of US troops is still in progress. … Sadr did not categorically reject their entry into Iraq.”
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