In Iraq, Shiite militias are both friend and foe
Abu Karar, an eager Shiite Muslim militiaman, is willing to fight alongside the Iraqi army against Islamic State militants. But he is not counting on the army for much support in battle.
"If we get attacked, we look to them for help but they never come. We're always left on our own," the 20-year-old, wearing a military camouflage cap, said in his living room in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
Like many Iraqis, Karar believes the will and determination to hold off Islamic State advances will not come from Iraq's weak and fractured army. Instead, Iraq's most effective fighting forces may be the highly motivated Shiite militias that have mobilized to counter Sunni-led Islamic State fighters.
The militias rose to prominence in the army and police under former Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a Shiite who resigned under pressure in August and was replaced by the less divisive Haider Abadi.
Karar and other Shiite militiamen are supporting the army in battles against Islamic State in Anbar province, west of Baghdad. But the militias' power center is the predominantly Shiite capital, where they, in concert with Shiite-led police units, rule Shiite neighborhoods.
"The reason Daesh doesn't take Baghdad is because of us," said Naeem Aboudi, spokesman for the powerful Asaib Ahl al Haq militia, using the Arabic acronym for Islamic State. "We have drawn a red line around Baghdad, and anyone who crosses it will be struck by an iron hand."
Asaib Ahl al Haq, or League of the Righteous, is the largest of four main Shiite militias and four smaller offshoots in Baghdad. Among its thousands of fighters is Karar, who used a nickname because he is not authorized by his commanders to speak with reporters.
The militia was among the leading killers of American troops before the U.S. combat role in Iraq ended in 2011. It's also one of several Shiite militias accused of kidnapping, torturing and killing Sunnis to avenge support by some Sunnis for Islamic State. In addition, militias have mounted violent, Taliban-style raids on clubs serving liquor.
Aboudi denied allegations in an Amnesty International report this month titled "Absolute Impunity: Militia Rule in Iraq." It says Shiite militias "are ruthlessly targeting Sunni civilians on a sectarian basis under the guise of fighting terrorism." Similar accusations were made by Human Rights Watch in July.
By arming and colluding with the militias, "the Iraqi authorities have effectively granted them free rein to go on the rampage against Sunnis," the Amnesty report says.
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In Iraq, Shiite militias are both friend and foe