Aid convoys enter Mosul, bringing relief and suspicion
MOSUL: Aid convoys linked to paramilitary groups have begun making regular deliveries to Mosul districts recaptured from Daesh, bringing much-needed relief but also fears that their Shiite backers are encroaching into the mostly Sunni city.
The columns of trucks and cars carrying food, water and blankets from Shiite cities in southern Iraq are welcomed by hungry and warweary residents of Mosul, Daesh’s last major Iraqi stronghold.
But their affiliation with the Hashid Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) — a state-run umbrella including Shiite militias — is clear, as they fly the flags of those groups and are often accompanied by heavily armed men.
Local leaders and many among the Mosul population say it could be the first sign of Shiite parties trying to extend their influence as the battle against the militants winds up.
Perversely, they say, the humanitarian help raises the spectre of sectarian strife in a country torn apart by it.
The PMF says the convoys are charitable and nothing more, and that the weapons are to protect those bringing supplies on long drives from the south.
The tension the armed presence can create, however, is already visible.
During a terse exchange on Sunday with Iraqi police, gunmen on a convoy from the Shiite holy city of Kerbala jumped off their vehicles at a checkpoint south of Mosul carrying assault rifles, some with fingers on triggers.
A policeman mounted the gun turret of an armored car in case the argument escalated.
“No problem, insha’allah (God willing),” said one of the convoy organizers, who gave his name only as Ali. The vehicles were eventually waved through into Mosul, flying the banner of a Kerbala-based Shiite militia.
A local tribal leader and former councilman for Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, said this kind of action laid bare Shiite attempts to expand influence in mainly Sunni northwestern Iraq.
“Shiite brothers have exploited the war conditions to pave the way for their project, it’s a gradual infiltration,” Sheikh Ali, told Reuters by phone. He asked not to be identified by his last name for fear of reprisals.
“It’s “Shi’ization” of Mosul city — an attempt at hegemony.”
Abdul Rahman Al-Wagga, a current council member, said with Islamic State ousted there was concern over encroachment by political factions with armed branches that have not previously had a strong presence in the area.