Source: Al-Jazeera
Carnegie's Renad Mansour joined Al'Jazeera's Sami Zeidan, Ali Al-Dabbagh former spokesman for the Iraqi government, and Juan Cole of the University of Michigan to discuss the Iraqi government's problematic use of Shiite militias to fight ISIS and the growing tide of sectarian violence on the Sunni civilians in Iraq as a result. The discussion centered on the consequences, specifically the expanding sectarian tension, and growing concerns over the Iraqi government's reliance on, and lack of control over, Shiite militias.
Mansour argued that the Shiite militias, many under the umbrella group of 'Popular Mobilisation Forces', lack a common command structure, which prevents their effective oversight or accountability, and increases their risk of committing sectarian attacks. Mansour pointed to Prime Minister's assertion that Popular Mobilisation Forces are part of the state, which implies a state sanctioning of sectarian attacks and the risk this poses to Iraqi politicians and figures who want to reconcile with the Sunni community and others wishing to stop Abadi's reforms.