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Is sectarianism at the heart of the fight for Fallujah?

In the video below you will see Aws Al-Khafaji, the Secretary-General of the Abu Fadhl Al-Abbas Brigades, as he addresses members of his militia before they are supposed to liberate Fallujah. The Shiite militia leader addresses them by saying  “This is our opportunity to cleanse Iraq by eradicating the Fallujah tumor.” Instead of focusing his troops on the closer target of ISIS, he pushes them to see the bigger picture of Sunni Muslims living within Fallujah. This video raises a larger question of what will happen in Iraq as ISIS is slowly eradicated? Has ISIS changed the outlook of Iraqi politics or just stunted it’s warped growth? If Iraq is not careful, they will continue to alienate the Sunni population living within Fallujah and thus continue to provide the perfect environment to grow an insurgency again.

Image courtesy of al Watan

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In the video below you will see Aws Al-Khafaji, the Secretary-General of the Abu Fadhl Al-Abbas Brigades, as he addresses members of his militia before they are supposed to liberate Fallujah. The Shiite militia leader addresses them by saying  “This is our opportunity to cleanse Iraq by eradicating the Fallujah tumor.” Instead of focusing his troops on the closer target of ISIS, he pushes them to see the bigger picture of Sunni Muslims living within Fallujah. This video raises a larger question of what will happen in Iraq as ISIS is slowly eradicated? Has ISIS changed the outlook of Iraqi politics or just stunted it’s warped growth? If Iraq is not careful, they will continue to alienate the Sunni population living within Fallujah and thus continue to provide the perfect environment to grow an insurgency again.

Image courtesy of al Watan

 

About Desiree Huitt View All Posts

Desiree Huitt is an Army Veteran serving 11 years as a Military Intelligence officer and prior to OCS as a combat medic. She is a graduate from the University of Texas in Austin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Eastern Studies.

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