On The Iraq - Syria Border U.S. And Iran-Backed Militias Watch Each Other Warily

The Al-Qaim gate is closed at the border between Iraq and Syria at Al-Qaim in Iraq, November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani

Reuters: ANALYSIS-On Iraq's border with Syria, Iran-backed militia warily eye US forces

* U.S. and PMF both oppose Islamic State
* But many Shi'ite paramilitaries see U.S. forces as threat
* PMF has deployed to Iraq-Syria border
* U.S. regards Iran as threat to regional security

Al-QAIM, Iraq, Dec 12 (Reuters) - From a desert hillside guarded by Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitaries, commander Qasim Muslih can spot Islamic State hideouts across the frontier in Syria. But he also keeps a wary eye on U.S. warplanes soaring overhead.

"The Americans are spying on us," he said, squinting skywards. "But we can hold the borders. We'll fight whoever lays a finger on Iraq and its holy shrines."

The fighters Muslih commands are part of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), a grouping of mostly Shi'ite militias backed by Iran, which the United States regards as the biggest threat to security in the Middle East.

The PMF has been deploying in growing numbers at the border, fearing hundreds of Islamic State militants who fled Iraq are trying to cross back into Iraqi territory.

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WNU editor: Whether they like it or not .... both sides need each other.

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