Tensions flare between US, Shiite factions in Iraq
The recent escalation by Iran-affiliated Iraqi Shiite militias against US forces on the Iraqi-Syrian border may offer an early indication of the coming confrontation between the two sides after the Islamic State is eliminated from Iraq.
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In the battle to control the Iraqi-Syrian border, the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, an armed faction of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) came under attack Aug. 7. In a strongly worded statement the same day, the group accused US forces of attacking their positions in western Iraq and vowed to avenge the casualties.
