Officials in Iraq's Anbar province are concerned about the members of popular mobilization forces carrying out sectarian revenge operations against the residents of the province, 80% of which falls under the control of the Islamic State (IS).
The popular mobilization forces formed following the fall of Mosul on June 10, 2014, after supreme Shiite religious authority Ali al-Sistani announced the “righteous jihad” fatwa. The forces brought together a number of Shiite militias, some of which receive direct support from Iran.