Setting the Stage for Disaster in Tikrit and Mosul

The unfolding assault on Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown, is also a byproduct of the Sunni-Shi’ite struggle. The Sunnis held the city until 2003, then the Shi’ites until 2014, and now, of course, Sunni-aligned Islamic State. But unlike what is planned for Mosul, the force advancing on Tikrit is largely made up of Shi’ite militias, led by Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who successfully directed militia campaigns against American forces in Iraq War 2.0. Unlike in Mosul, there will be no power vacuum once Islamic State is routed, but there will be blood.