The fight against ISIS in Iraq could eventually turn out to be perceived as war between the Shiite and the Sunni Muslims, says Mosul’s exiled governor Atheel Nujaif.
The governor has therefore warned against Shiite’s participation in the fight against ISIS in Mosul despite their great contribution in driving ISIS from Tikrit in March 2015.
Nujaif has further made it clear that the two troops which will be fighting against ISIS in Mosul shall be; the Iraqi government and the Ministry of Defense.
The warning comes at a time when the Shiite militias were reported to have conducted atrocities against innocent Sunni civilians while they were liberating Tikrit off ISIS and even prior to the liberation.
The two groups-Suunis and Shiites-are known to have a bad co-relation history amongst themselves, despite all being Muslims.
According to the Sunnis who have now been forced to start all over again following the destruction by ISIS, Shiite militias feel nothing but hatred towards the Sunnis, claiming that the Sunnis have to “pay” for the killing of the Shiites.
Nujaif has further added that the presence of Hashd al-Shaabi (Shiites) in Mosul will cause sectarian tensions. The Iraqi government has therefore agreed to exclude the group in the Mosul operation.
ISIS has now taken refuge in Mosul following their loss in Tikrit, a town which they referred to as home. To counter other external forces, the extremists are also making quick advances towards Baghdad, a town about 80 miles from Tikrit.
Mosul’s liberation will however not be as easy as in Tikrit according to Hadi al-Ameri, the head of Iraq’s powerful Shiite militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). He has therefore cited this as one of the main reasons why the Shiite will advance westward to liberate Anbar province and finally march for Mosul.
