GARMIYAN, Kurdistan Region – The Islamic Scholars of Kurdistan accused Shiite militias in the regions of Garmiyan of belligerence and provocation, after a checkpoint shooting in which one person was hurt.
“A group of militiamen who are unhappy about the superiority of Peshmerga forces in the area are completing the disgusting actions of the Islamic State (ISIS) under the name of combating terrorism,” the Garmiyan branch of the scholars organization said in a statement.
"The Shiite militias attacked a (Kurdish) teacher in the town of Kalar aggressively. We condemn such aggression strongly and declare that such barbarism will not be accepted by the people of Kurdistan," the statement said.
Locals in Kalar and Kifri are angry at Shiite militias brought in from outside for the joint fight for the towns of Jalawla and Saadiya last week.
Locals do not like to see the militiamen driving up and down their streets, especially following a shootout allegedly when one of the militia vehicles refused to stop at a checkpoint in Kifri. One person was wounded in that incident.
The statement called on the commanders of Kurdish forces on the Garmaser front to hold the militias accountable and keep them in check.
"The militias don’t even respect the sacred places. They destroy the mosques, loot the houses of the civilians," the statement claimed.
Kurdish forces have accused the Shiite militants of stealing and destroying homes during the battles to evict ISIS from Saadiya and Jalawla.
