Kurds, Shiites Facing Off on New Frontline

Despite the presence of the Shiite militias and the various rumours about their wrong doing and motivation for being there, a representative from the Ministry of Peshmerga (the Iraqi Kurdish military) told NIQASH that presently they were not worried. “The Shiite militias came into the region, in coordination with the official Iraqi army and they do not pose a threat to the region or to its inhabitants,” says Jabbar Yawar, the official spokesman for the Iraqi Kurdish military.

“The Shiite forces have been coordinating with the Iraqi Kurdish military and in fact, they have helped to rescue Iraqi Kurdistan from the threat presented by the IS group,” Sherko Mirwais, who heads another major Iraqi Kurdish political party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, or PUK, in Khanaqin, told NIQASH.

Then again it is also worth remembering that as a party, the PUK has long had good relations with neighbouring Iran, a Shiite-Muslim-led theocracy – in fact, far better than the relationship the KDP has with Iran; the KDP is closer to the Turkish. Some of the places where the Shiite Muslim militias have set up are considered centres of power for the PUK.

“It’s not like these militias arrived from another planet,” Mirwais continued. “They too are sons of Iraq.”

Some other political observers have suggested that in fact the Shiite Muslim militias will only remain in the disputed territories as long as Iran wants them to. The goal of the Iranians in this case is to use the disputed territories as leverage. Their long term aim is to even up the population in the territories so there is a more even split between Sunni Muslim Arabs and Shiite Muslim Arabs. If there are more Shiite Muslims in areas close to Iraqi Kurdistan, the Iranians will also have more influence on Iraqi Kurdistan – or so the speculation goes.

One thing is for sure though. The areas of Jalawla and Sadiya have always been potential conflict zones because of their location – they link the province of Diyala and Kirkuk and each of Iraq’s main military groups has tried to control them in turn. Some Iraqi Kurdish now fear they are going to have to fight the country’s Shiite Muslims as well as the radicalized Sunni Muslim ones belonging to the IS group.

“If these armed militias don’t eventually withdraw, we may need to fight them to keep them away from Iraqi Kurdistan,” repeats Mustafa, echoing the concern a lot of locals are already feeling, no matter which stories about political power plays, looting and arson they choose to believe.