宗派分歧是和平障碍

Even if the Iraqi government defeats ISIL, a big question mark still hangs over its ability to re-unify a deeply divided nation.

The Iraqi military appears to have surprised even itself with the speed in which it’s re-capturing ISIL held territory.

If and when the extremists are finally defeated militarily some members of the ruling coalition say Iraq will still face the very same sectarian split that led to the rise of the fanatical group in the first place.

"We need better coexistence and understanding of how we all share this land. We need to understand that a representation in the government could be proportional to the amount of social representation," Saad Almutalibi, Member of Parliament of State of Law Party, said,

Under Saddam Hussein Iraq Sunni Muslims dominated high positions in the government and military, jobs overwhelmingly held by Shiite Muslims since the U.S.-led invasion.

After Sunnis led the opposition to U.S. occupation they were largely disarmed leaving them vulnerable and in some cases welcoming when ISIL arrived. It now seems unlikely ISIL can be fully defeated by the army alone.

"If the Sunnis are supported, they can form a force to protect the areas liberated from ISIL control," Peshmerga Major General Zrian Shekhwasani said.

That means arming Sunni tribes, which the government is unlikely to do. But if any good has come from the fight against ISIL, known here as Daesh, it’s that former enemies have been fighting side by side.

"The confrontation with Daesh unified Iraqis, but in the same time we face a problem of those politicians who cannot be trusted. With them they look for the confrontations from the angles of their parties."

Then there’s the Kurds who want to split from the Shiites and Sunni Arabs.

Standup, Jack Barton, Mukhmor, Iraq, FULL SOT: “We’ve been sitting in an Iraqi army vehicle at a Kurdish checkpoint for about half an hour and they’re not letting us through. It really illustrates how divided this war is even among supposed allies.

Iraq is slowly veering away from chaos that has marred the country since 2003, but the sectarian divide remains an obstacle still to overcome on the road to peace and national unity.