Do Shia militias stoke sectarian tension in Fallujah?




Inside Story show

Summary: Iraqi forces are battling to recapture Fallujah - the first Iraqi city to fall to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) two years ago. Iraqi army special forces entered the besieged city on Monday, after a week of fighting in villages on the outskirts. Civilians are desperately trying to avoid the battlefields, to make it to camps for the displaced set up outside the city. An estimated 50,000 citizens are trapped. They say ISIL fighters are blocking their escape routes and landmines litter the roads. A group called the Popular Mobilisation Forces is helping Iraqi troops fight for Fallujah. The PMF was first formed in 2014 to strengthen the national army. The fighters are mostly Shia muslims who are reported to be backed by the Iranian government. They PMF is one of the most effective forces fighting ISIL in Iraq - which is also accused of attacking Sunni civilians after recapturing territory from ISIL. Who should hold PMF fighters accountable? And do they worsen the sectarian divide? Presenter: Martine Dennis Guests: Saad al-Muttalibi, adviser to the Iraqi Ministers' Council Kirk Sowell, publisher of Inside Iraqi Politics and a risk consultant Ahmed Rushdi, political analyst and director of the House of Iraqi Expertise Foundation - Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe - Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish - Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera - Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/