BAGHDAD, Oct. 29 (UPI) — A group of Shiite militias largely absent from the Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul from the Islamic State jumped into the fray Saturday, opening a new front on the west of the embattled terrorist stronghold.
The militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Units and backed by Iran, had not to this point played a significant role in the 100,000-plus troop force organized by Iraqi and Kurdish military leaders and backed by the United States. Al Jazeera reported the support received from the militias is more than most military leaders in the region expected.
The emergence of the Shiite militia forces is not entirely welcome news for U.S.-backed interests in the region. Government forces have worried that such groups, which do not fall under U.S. or Iraqi control, could turn an anti-terrorist offensive into a humanitarian crisis if the Shiite militiamen begin targeting Sunni civilians for violence in villages they overtake. Many Sunnis view the PMU as equally threatening as the Islamic State.
Elsewhere in Iraq, a suicide bomber killed eight and wounded nearly a dozen more after he detonated himself in a section of western Baghdad. No group had claimed responsibility for the attack.
