BAGHDAD — The Oct. 17 murder of 12 people from the Sunni community in Salahuddin province north of Baghdad has raised the ire of Sunnis against Shiite factions present in their areas, as they have accused the factions of committing the massacre.
Since the agreement that was signed between the governments of Baghdad and Erbil on Oct. 11 to normalize the situation in Sinjar city and which stipulated the withdrawal of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) from the city, the Sunni parties have been trying to obtain a similar agreement in Sunni areas where Shiite factions have been deployed since the liberation of such cities from the Islamic State (IS). Parties opposing the Shiite factions’ continued deployment believe these have now come to control the security, economic and political aspects of life in said areas.