Iraq's War Against The Islamic State Facing Numerous Problems

U.S. News And World Report: Coalition In-Fighting Threatens the War Against ISIS in Iraq

Recent skirmishes hint at a problem in the war-torn country that far exceeds the extremist threat.

It was just another skirmish in an historically violent part of Iraq that, aside from the few dozen fighters who died, would not normally raise concerns far beyond the township's borders.

But the recent confrontation in the northern Iraqi city of Tuz Khurmatu signals a significantly larger problem facing a central government in Baghdad already on shaky footing as it tries to hold together a political and military coalition it desperately needs to defeat the Islamic State group threat.

Hostilities broke out over the weekend between two groups considered critical components of the ground war. Troops from the predominantly Shiite Muslim militias – known as the popular mobilization units or PMUs – reportedly attacked the home of an officer with the Kurdish fighting force known as the peshmerga, according to media reports. The militiamen claimed they were retaliating against an unprovoked peshmerga attack.

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WNU Editor: The above Euronews video is a must see. In short .... the war against the Islamic State is not going to be easy.

More News On Iraq's War Against The Islamic State

In Iraq, the Mosul offensive is off to a slow and shaky start -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
Iraqi army makes modest advance south of Mosul -- Reuters
Anti-ISIS Coalition Faces Challenges in Mosul -- US News and World Report
Mission Mosul: Local allies in ‘SAS-aided’ mission to retake city start killing each other -- RT
Military Strikes Continue Against ISIL Targets in Iraq, Syria -- US Department of Defense
Iraqis, Kurds nearly ready for fight to reclaim Mosul from ISIS: Pentagon -- Washington Times
US Army, Iraqi forces will not advance on Mosul before Ramadan -- Al Bawaba
Mosul will not be surrounded before Ramadan, official says -- UPI
Residents of Iraq's IS-Held Fallujah Suffer Under Siege -- AP
In northern Iraq, longstanding tensions surge even as ISIS is pushed back -- Mohammed A. Salih, CSM