Parade a show of force for Iraqi militias

BAGHDAD — Thousands of members of Iraq’s umbrella of mostly Shiite militias known as Popular Mobilization Forces marched in a parade Saturday, the largest show of strength since the founding of the controversial paramilitary group.

Russian-made tanks, boats, rocket launchers and ammunition were on display in the parade in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, held to mark the seventh anniversary of the formation of the group, established after a 2014 call to arms by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani to defeat militants from the Islamic State group.

At the time, the Islamic State held a third of Iraq’s territory and the Iran-backed militias were critical to reinforcing the Iraqi government forces, which aided by the U.S.-led coalition eventually defeated the Islamic State.

However, a rift has recently emerged between the paramilitary force and the government, following the arrest of group commander Qassim Musleh last month on terrorism charges. Musleh was later released, a move that embarrassed Iraq’s leadership and laid bare the limits of the government’s ability to bring militia leaders to account.

Also on Saturday, a bomb-laden drone struck a building in an empty village just 2 miles from the new location of the U.S. Consulate in Irbil, in Kurdish-run northern Iraq. The building was still under construction and there were no casualties, said a senior Kurdish official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.

Rockets and drones have continued to target the U.S.led coalition across Iraq, with Western officials blaming Iran-backed Shiite militias.