Iraq civil war leader rallies Shi’ite fighters against Islamic State
Abu Deraa sits at home in Baghdad's Sadr City, ringed by images of 7th century Shi'ite Muslim Imams Ali and Hussein. A hero to Shi'ite militiamen during Iraq's civil war, he no longer fights but still stirs the hearts of men now battling Islamic State. Nearly a decade after Iraq's worst sectarian bloodletting, the country […]Ned Parker reports for Reuters:
Abu Deraa sits at home in Baghdad's Sadr City, ringed by images of 7th century Shi'ite Muslim Imams Ali and Hussein. A hero to Shi'ite militiamen during Iraq's civil war, he no longer fights but still stirs the hearts of men now battling Islamic State.
Nearly a decade after Iraq's worst sectarian bloodletting, the country faces a new period of darkness: Sunni jihadists have captured swathes of territory in the north and west, and efforts to roll back those gains have exacerbated tensions between Sunni and Shi'ite communities. Abu Deraa, whose nom de guerre means father of the shield, is defiantly proud of his past, which includes brutal raids on Sunni areas whose residents still tremble at his name. He now sees himself as an anchor in a new war against evil forces.
