MILITIA CHALLENGE TO IRAQI STATE MUST BE SQUASHED: Another day, another rocket. Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone came under attack from pro-Iran Shiite militias that have become a law unto themselves, even as Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi is doing more than his predecessors to try to bring them under the control of the central government. The attacks surged after Al Kadhimi travelled to the US last month to conclude strategic talks. Importantly, this issue is not about American interests or other international entities in the Green Zone. It is about the Iraqi state, and the challenge posed to it by non-state actors. This challenge must be squashed. [COMMENT BY: Omar Shariff, International Editor]
AFP