NAJAF, Iraq-- The leader of an influential Shiite militia in Iraq warns against the country's disintegration and sees a "bloody outcome" in separation efforts by the Sunnis and Kurdish factions. Speaking on Friday Hadi Ameri, a former minister and commander of the Shiite Hashad al-Shaabi militia, warned that conditions in Iraq would not allow for what he called "the three-state solution" to take place and reiterated strong support for a "united country." "Many sides are working to divide Iraq into three states, Shiite, Sunni and a Kurdish state which we reject categorically since Iraq's partition will inevitably be followed by a bloody outcome,” Ameri said. Amiri also said similar efforts are underway in neighboring Syria, where diverse ethnic groups are trying to partition the country. Ameri's comments are in stark contrast to the country's Shiite Prime Minister Haidar Abadi, who has in the past shown moderate support for Kurdish referendum and even a possible breakaway from Iraq. Kurdish President Massoud Barzani, who has intensively advocated for a "friendly partition" from Iraq, has said that a referendum on Kurdish independence will take place after Mosul operations and before the end of 2016. Several Iraqi leaders have in the past cautioned on further escalation of tensions among different groups in the war-torn country amid deepening sectarian divisions. Former Iraqi Prime Minister Aiyad Allawi said earlier this year that serious disputes remain across sectarian lines in Iraq, with most conflicting parties leading their own armed forces. “Everybody has a militia nowadays and see themselves as rightful while regarding others as wrongful,” said Allawi, who heads the Iraqi National Accord, which has 21 seats in the parliament, during an interview with the Arabic Ilaf website. “This means that there is no Iraqi state, but only a (central) power. And if we do not pass this crisis, Iraq will in the future face catastrophe and partition,” he added. Allwai’s concern comes as new sectarian militia bands are being set up and funded by regional powers that are waging a proxy war. Iran and Saudi Arabia are financially supporting opposing militia groups in the country, recently Turkey is opening funding a Sunni militia in northern Iraq, which it says are trained against ISIS militants in Mosul. Allawi said in the interview that if the conditions remain “as grave as they currently are”, the different components of the country will inevitably choose their own path.
