U.S. and Iraqis try to fragment extremist groups
American and Iraqi officials are seeking ways to exploit emerging fissures between the militant group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and Iraqi extremist groups that allied with it to seize much of northern and western Iraq over the last month. The groups, which follow the Sunni branch of Islam, made common […]Eric Schmitt and Alissa J. Rubin write for the New York Times:
American and Iraqi officials are seeking ways to exploit emerging fissures between the militant group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, and Iraqi extremist groups that allied with it to seize much of northern and western Iraq over the last month.
The groups, which follow the Sunni branch of Islam, made common cause with ISIS, whose members are also Sunni militants, to fight Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government. The Shiites are the majority in Iraq, and there is deep distrust between them and the Sunnis.
