US officials seem to have agreed with the Iraqi government that, in the wake of taking most of the city of Tikrit, they need to start trying to make gains in the Anbar Province, the largest province in Iraq.
The question is how, with Iraqi officials eager to just copy the Tikrit model of using Shi’ite militias to do all the heavy lifting in the offensive against ISIS-held Sunni towns.
The US, however, doesn’t see this as a great idea, and rather is pushing for Iraq to use mostly Sunnis in the offensive. The problem is that they don’t have significant Sunni allies to do that.
Iraqi PM Hayder Abadi is trying to give lip-service to the US idea, saying they’d like more Sunni involvement. He doesn’t seem to be ruling out the Shi’ite militias, however, and given the looting and lynching the militias have carried out virtually every time they take Sunni towns, the number of Sunnis who might get on board for the offensive are shrinking by the day.
It’s a genocide folks — A full blown genocide
For the Shia militias know that the Sunny tribes ruled Iraq for hundreds of years, surely and reducing the population of Sunni is what the Shia tribes figure will save them in the future.
I say again, not until the Sunni tribes are back in power will there be peace in Iraq.
"…not until the Sunni tribes are back in power will there be peace in Iraq."
Not even then, I fear. The US and it's poodles have opened Pandora's Box and there is no putting the lid back on.