Environmental journalist @NatGeo, @NYT, @bbc etc. Global Fellow @ The Wilson Center, Fellow @ Center for Climate & Security
published on Quartz on May 21, 2015
BAGHDAD—With traffic on the Republic Bridge snarled up for half a mile and lunchtime fast approaching, the two pickup trucks chock full of armed men in desert camouflage decided they could stand the wait no longer. Mounting the sidewalk, they sent pedestrians scattering as they barreled towards one of the many checkpoints designed to stymie Islamic State (ISIL) suicide bombers in the Iraqi capital.
Up ahead, the nervy gaggle of policemen and soldiers manning the concrete barriers heard the commotion and leapt to their feet, ready to do battle. But when they saw that the lead vehicle flew not the black banner of ISIL but the telltale green flag of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia (AAH), they lowered their weapons and scuttled out of the way.
AAH is one of some 35 Shi’ite militias that coalesced to fight ISIL as it swept across large stretches of northern and western Iraq last summer. The Iraqi government narrative suggested they would disperse when the Sunni jihadists were finally defeated. But the militias’ role in the fighting has emboldened them. And few are now betting against the militias’ longevity—especially after the key city of Ramadi fell back into ISIL hands a few days ago.
(CONTINUE READING ON QZ.COM)