Mixed Emotions on the Front Lines in the Fight Against ISIS
Iran-backed militia exude confidence while some Iraq soldiers seem bleak.
— -- As we made our way on the road to the front lines, in armored vehicles, an Iraqi army helicopter buzzed our convoy.
Violence is back on the rise in Iraq. Baghdad is a broken city, again bracing for an all-out war. The Iraqi army has been retreating, fleeing as the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, rolls on, first in Mosul last year and then in Ramadi in May.
On a recent day, we were on our way to meet a very different kind of army. We pulled up in the desert in Anbar Province, which is almost totally dominated by ISIS.
We could see them: the religious militias fighting ISIS, with flags flying. They were eager for battle -- and they were backed by Iran. They are Shia religious militia, fueled by religious fervor.
As we approached one of their vehicles, we spied a picture of Iran's Supreme leader in the windshield.
I asked: "How hard is it to fight against ISIS?"
"We will be victorious over the cowardly traitors," a fighter told me, "with God's will."
I could see their enthusiasm and their dedication to the fight. They wanted no more U.S. soldiers but they did want more U.S. equipment, ammunition and support.
They said the U.S. was not their friend.
"If Obama sends more American soldiers here, you will fight the Americans too?" I asked.
They all yelled. One man yelled the loudest: "I will fight ISIS and the Americans!"
As the sun set, we prepared to meet the official Iraqi army -- the soldiers the U.S. is training and funding -- but as we neared the front lines, radio traffic warned of enemy fire.
"Sniper off to the left!" a security guy yelled.
We hustled inside and up stairs, ducking low. ISIS fighters were just across the fields.
A soldier said they were attacked in this position by ISIS fighters "every day."
When we sat down with the Iraqi soldiers, they sounded almost dejected.
"You want to fight ISIS but if you hear an American plane, you will hide?" we asked.
"The pilot will hit me, not ISIS," he said.
Then they mounted up in their Humvees. Made in the USA.