Don’t need US help in Anbar: Iraq militias

Say coalition assistance only hurts their efforts

kessarrat (IrAq) — AlI AHsAn pACED BACk AnD FortH CArryInG A rIflE morE tHAn HAlF HIs HEIGHt In tHE sEArInG HEAt As HIs mIlItIA Convoy mADE A pIt stop In tHE AnBAr DEsErt to rEst AnD prAy.

UnlIkE tHE ruGGED mEn In FAtIGuEs ArounD HIm, HIs prEpuBEsCEnt FACE HAs BArEly sprunG A wHIskEr. Now tHAt sCHool Is out, tHE pEtItE 14-yEAr-olD Is spEnDInG HIs summEr BrEAk FIGHtInG DAEsH Group wItH HIs FAtHEr AnD otHEr mEmBErs oF IrAq’s PopulAr MoBIlIsAtIon ForCEs, wHICH InCluDEs tHE SHIA mIlItIAs.

“I’m HErE BECAusE It’s my Duty,” tHE stonE-FACED Boy In BluE JEAns sAID. “THE PopulAr MoBIlIsAtIon ForCEs ArE not sECtArIAn ForCEs. THEy rEprEsEnt All oF IrAq, AnD I wAnt to HElp tHEm lIBErAtE IrAq.”

DEspItE ConCErns ovEr HEIGHtEnED sECtArIAn strIFE, SHIA mIlItIAmEn ContInuE to pour Into IrAq’s SunnI HEArtlAnD oF AnBAr provInCE wItH tHE InItIAl HopE oF rECApturInG FAlluJAH, tHE first mAJor IrAqI CIty to FAll to DAEsH Group lAst yEAr.

As tHE US prEpArEs to sEnD An ADDItIonAl 450 pErsonnEl to IrAq, tHE IrAnIAn-BACkED mIlItIAs sAy tHAt CoAlItIon AssIstAnCE only Hurts tHEIr Efforts, ContrADICtInG stAtEmEnts By tHE IrAqI GovErnmEnt tHAt morE IntErnAtIonAl support Is nEEDED.

DAEsH fiGHtErs CApturED AnBAr’s provInCIAl CApItAl oF RAmADI lAst montH. THE PopulAr MoBIlIsAtIon ForCEs wErE CAllED to BAttlE In AnBAr AFtEr tHE FAll oF RAmADI, DEspItE ConCErns tHAt tHEIr InvolvEmEnt In tHE provInCE woulD AntAGonIsE tHE SunnI populAtIon, AnD tHEy ArE now sEttInG tHEIr sIGHts on FAlluJAH.

“WE tHInk tHE lIBErAtIon oF FAlluJAH wIll Allow us to EntEr RAmADI wItHout Any fiGHtInG, so tHE BAttlE tHAt wE ArE prEpArInG Is tHE BAttlE oF FAlluJAH,” HADI Al AmIrI, tHE HEAD oF tHE PopulAr MoBIlIsAtIon ForCEs, tolD JournAlIsts on FrIDAy At An outpost on tHE SAlAHuDDInAnBAr BorDEr. “GoD wIllInG, It wIll BE ImmInEnt.”

MAny oF tHE SHIA fiGHtErs, InCluDInG AHsAn AnD HIs unClE, SAlAH MAHDI, BElIEvE tHAt AIr strIkEs By A US-lED CoAlItIon HAvE BEEn A HInDrAnCE to tHEIr Efforts to rECApturE tErrItory — AnD In somE CAsEs, HAvE BEEn DEADly.

“WE know oF fiGHtErs wHo wErE kIllED By tHE AmErICAn plAnEs,” MAHDI sAID. “IF tHEy rEAlly wAntED to HElp us, tHEn tHEy woulD lEAvE IrAqIs to lIBErAtE IrAq By tHEmsElvEs.”