The museum is meant to honour the fallen but it also underscores the Iran-backed militias’ growing clout in the country. … They are the pulse of Iraq,” said 55-year-old teacher Umm Hassanin al-Oukeily on a visit to the museum this week. A U.S.-led coalition provided crucial air support as Iraqi forces regrouped and drove IS out in a costly campaign. They came out of the war with the image of an almost holy force protecting Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority. At the museum, images of the fallen militiamen hang down from the ceiling, printed on light bulbs.

Source: National Post February 14, 2019 06:33 UTC