(New York Times) Tim Arango - While American commandos are on the front lines in Syria in a new push toward the Islamic State's de facto capital in Raqqa, in Iraq, Iran has become the face of an operation to retake the jihadist stronghold of Falluja from ISIS. Tens of thousands of Iraqi soldiers, police officers and Shiite militiamen backed by Iran are preparing for an assault on the Sunni city, as Iran has placed advisers, including its top spymaster, Qassim Suleimani, on the ground to assist in the operation. The U.S. has long believed that Iran's role, which relies on Shiite militias accused of sectarian abuses of Sunnis, can make matters worse by making the Sunnis more sympathetic to ISIS militants. In a widely circulated video, a Shiite militia leader is seen rallying his men with a message of revenge against the people of Falluja, whom many Iraqi Shiites believe to be Islamic State sympathizers rather than innocent civilians.
2016-05-31 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive