Sectarian killings on the rise in Iraq

Islam Mohamed

The Iraqi government is facing a new displacement crisis among the Sunni community after an escalation in revenge attacks by lawless Shiite militias.

These armed groups have been practicing a policy of identity killing since the fall of the Iraqi regime in 2003.

They receive support from Tehran which is actively seeking to keep sectarian conflicts boiling in the region to serve its expansionist project.

Recently, 15 people were killed and others were wounded in an attack by ISIS in the village of al-Rashad in Muqdadiya district, northeast of Diyala.

The attack was followed by retaliatory attacks on the nearby Sunni village of Nahr al-Imam.

It left a number of people dead and others wounded. The attack also caused locals to turn tail and taking refuge in a mosque in the center of Baquba City, in Diyala.

Sectarian violence

The Iraqi Badr Corps militia, which is loyal to Iran and is affiliated with the Fatah Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri, is accused of involvement in sectarian violence after it suffered a heavy defeat in the Iraqi elections against the Sadrist Movement.

The militia threatened to spread chaos and it is proving true to its word.

In response to an ISIS attack that targeted military barracks of the army and the Shiite Popular Mobilization, the Badr Corps attacked Sunni villages, killing a large number of residents, and burning their homes.

This was part of a systematic plan for demographic change in the Sunni-majority Diyala province.

Through this, pro-Iran militias are sending messages that they will not give up their weapons, and will not accept what has been announced about the next government’s intention to withdraw weapons from all militias deployed in the country.