Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim Jabouri: Militias Fighting ISIS Are Involved in Terrorism in the Liberated Parts

In an interview with the Kurdestani Iraqi TV channel NRT, Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Salim Jabouri said that some of the militias fighting ISIS in Iraq "felt that they had the right to consolidate and impose their presence after liberation, and that as a result, the security of those areas was undermined. "Terrorism has changed in form, hue, and 'modus operandi'. [This new form of terrorism] is unacceptable," he said.

Jabouri: "Let me first point to the problem: Some of the (Shiite) factions that took part in liberating (parts of Iraq from ISIS) had military wings. These are political facts with military wings. They did not limit their role to completing the liberation. They felt that they had the right to consolidate and impose their presence after liberation, and to benefit from the victory by winning the loyalty of those liberated."

Interviewer: "Did this happen in all the areas?"

Jabouri: "It happened in Diyala, in Saladin, and to a much lesser extent in Anbar. But let me take the city of Miqdadiyah as an example of a city that was cleansed of ISIS. Is the city much safer now? Let me tell you, there's no more than 10% safety there. Why is this? It is because some of the militias and armed groups are fighting among themselves for control of the power centers. Sometimes they control the political decision-making, and receive support from influential elements in the government. What do the citizens want? Some of them will tell you that they want to live in a safe environment, in which they can fulfill their roles - as a student, at work, and so on - and in which they can go about their business in peace. They don't want to hear about kidnappings and killings on a daily basis. Terrorism has changed in form, hue, and modus operandi. (This new form of terrorism) is unacceptable. This is part of the picture that mars the victory achieved over terrorism, and gives justification to others, whose voices are being heard, when they say that in light of the crimes that are being perpetrated (by the militias), the extremism that affects society is unavoidable."