A cycle of attacks and counter-attacks in eastern Iraq raises concerns about a return of deadly sectarian violence in the country. On Oct. 26, gunmen killed 15 people in the largely Shi'ite village of al-Rashad (also rendered al-Hawasha) outside the town of Muqdadiya, Diyala governorate. The attack was blamed on remnants [7] of the so-called Islamic State [8]. Revenge attacks shortly followed on a nearby Sunni village, Nahr al-Imam, including the burning of crops and homes, forcing some residents to flee. The reprisal attacks were said to have included the participation of members of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF [9])—a network of Shi'ite militias now formally under the command of the official state security forces. The Iraqi government has sent troops [10] and delegations to the region, but tensions remain [11] high.
Meanwhile, in Baghdad, supporters of the PMF-aligned political parties are camped outside the Green Zone [13], protesting alleged fraud [14] in the Oct. 10 elections that saw them lose around two thirds of their seats in parliament. (TNH [15], Reuters [7], Al-Monitor [10])
