Posted on 03/14/2015 10:34:39 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Wearing a camouflage uniform with militia patches and a green headband, Nawar Mohammed is the image of an Iraqi Shiite fighter except for one detail: he is Sunni.
Mohammed is one of some 250 Sunni residents of Al-Alam who joined Asaib Ahl al-Haq, an Iranian-backed Shiite militia with a fearsome reputation for kidnappings and killings targeting their community, to battle the Islamic State group after it seized their town.
It would once have been all but unthinkable for a member of Iraq's Sunni Arab minority to join a Shiite militia, but opposition to ISIS, which overran large areas north and west of Baghdad last June, is transcending deep-seated sectarian divisions.
"The whole world is surprised by this -- it's the first time in the history of Asaib that they formed a Sunni unit," said Mohammed, standing with a Kalashnikov assault rifle hanging at his side.
"Asaib trained us, and we became part of Asaib," he said.
"Asaib, Sunni or Shiite, there is no difference -- these circumstances united Iraq," Mohammed said. "God willing, there will not be any more sectarianism."
The formation of the unit, which some call "Asaib al-Alam", is a positive sign and its fighters seem genuine when praising Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
Having Sunnis fighting for Shiite militias brings direct practical benefits to both sides: the Sunnis receive training and support they need to retake their homes, while the militias take a step toward shedding their reputation for sectarian killings.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
The enemy of my enemy is...
Someone with whom I have a common short-term interest.
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