NAJAF, Iraq - The deputy governor of Iraq’s Shia province of Najaf said Tuesday that local militias will boost the region’s security after a recent suicide bomb attack killed 35 people. “We started today forming a committee in Najaf to choose individuals who will control security in their neighbourhoods and keep an eye on all suspect movements in their areas,” deputy governor Abdul Hussain Abtan told AFP.“This will be done in collaboration with security forces in the city and is the first step in activating popular committees.”
| So is the milita a part of or outside of the government? That'll tell us a fair bit about whether the Shi'a really want a civil war and their own state. |
Both groups want to form Shia self-defence committees, a move that would undermine the authority of Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki, who has vowed to disarm militias.