Militants unleashed a wave of attacks in Iraq on Thursday, mainly targeting Shiite areas in and around the capital of Baghdad, killing at least 47 people and wounding dozens, authorities told the Associated Press. The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the day's deadliest attack.
While the latest news focuses on Baghdad, fighting and destabilization spans Iraq. A new documentary from Al Jazeera’s “Fault Lines” TV series takes viewers on the ground covering several hundred miles of the country. Correspondent Josh Rushing and his crew visited a camp for internally displaced people in Northern Iraq where desperate Yazidis recount fleeing Islamic State fighters, though not all of them survived. Rushing also spoke with Sunni Arabs fleeing from the Iraqi military and Shiite militias, funded in part by U.S. funds.
Elsewhere Kurdish fighters talk about trying to claim more territory for a future Kurdistan. The rise of the Islamic State group (also known as ISIL) has reignited historic sectarian divides in Iraq in ways not seen since the wake of US coalition forces’ invasion of Iraq.
In fighting IS militants, are the U.S. and allies deepening the divide between sects? Is splitting Iraq the answer?
Al Jazeera Fault Lines’ “Iraq Divided: The Fight Against ISIL” will air this Saturday, October 18th at 4 pm PT/7pm ET. Al Jazeera America is available in southern California on AT&T Channel 1219, Time Warner 445, Dish Channel 215 and DirecTV 347.
Guest:
Josh Rushing, Co-Host, Al Jazeera's "Fault Lines" Emmy-winning investigative series; Rushing is a former U.S. Marine