Monday saw new rifts emerge between US and Iraqi forces - this time, over the status of the Iraqi town of Tikrit, hometown of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. On Monday, the war against the Islamic state group appears to have extended to Tikrit, as government backed Shi'i militias launched a counter offensive, to win back the city from IS fighters.
While agreement is shared over the common enemy, both sides remain divided over how to best approach the threat ISIS poses, and thus, a state of uncertainty continues. Many inside of Iraq, particularly in and around Tikrit, believe that the latest thaw could quite easily facilitate Iranian interventionism to the point of normalisation.
Similar concerns were also voiced by American officials, fearing that the fast expanding role of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, aligned to Shi'i militia's, could foment sectarian tension; tensions which the Islamic state group has consistently misused and capitalised upon.
At the heart of the latest battle is the hotly debated Iranian military leader, Qassem Suleimani, who has in recent months enjoyed strong support and backing from Shi'i militias in Iraq.
While agreement is shared over the common enemy, both sides remain divided over how to best approach the threat ISIS poses, and thus, a state of uncertainty continues. Many inside of Iraq, particularly in and around Tikrit, believe that the latest thaw could quite easily facilitate Iranian interventionism to the point of normalisation.
Similar concerns were also voiced by American officials, fearing that the fast expanding role of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, aligned to Shi'i militia's, could foment sectarian tension; tensions which the Islamic state group has consistently misused and capitalised upon.
At the heart of the latest battle is the hotly debated Iranian military leader, Qassem Suleimani, who has in recent months enjoyed strong support and backing from Shi'i militias in Iraq.
As Suleimani heads the latest Tikrit operation, with local militias and the Qods force on his side, and as political rivalries are increasingly portrayed as sectarian animosities, the battle continues without legal and political authorization from America.
Sunni's on the ground have expressly said that the latest operation is a pitiful attempt by the government to dress-up the destruction of the city with the threat of ISIS.
Sunni's on the ground have expressly said that the latest operation is a pitiful attempt by the government to dress-up the destruction of the city with the threat of ISIS.
RSS Feed