Smoke rises from Islamic state positions after an airstrike by coalition forces in Mosul, Iraq,Oct. 18, 2016. Uncredited AP/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.
What is happening now in the Middle East is crucial for the future of the region. Iraq and Syria, in particular, represent paradigmatic examples of the sectarian fault-line dividing the Muslim world and the changes that these two nations will undergo in the near future might well reshape the power-balance between opposite factions, namely the Sunnis and the Shias.
The nearing offensive against Mosul, Iraq’s second biggest city, held by Daesh since June 2014 and the strategical planning of the fight reveals forthcoming issues for the reconstruction of Iraq. Indeed, Mosul is a predominantly Sunni city and the idea of having Shia forces (the Iraqi army and Shia militias mostly trained and armed by Iran) liberating a Sunni city from a Sunni terrorist organization creates an important sectarian issue.
