Sistani’s call for the creation of paramilitary brigades run by authorities for the two holiest Shia shrines in Karbala and Najaf to defend against the menace of the Islamic State group.

Al-Monitor is an award-winning media outlet covering the Middle East, valued for its independence, diversity and analysis. It is read widely by US, international and Middle East decision makers at the ...

During his trip, Pezeshkian is also due to visit Shiite shrines in the cities of Karbala and Najaf, a railroad project in southern Iraq and the capital of the semiautonomous northern Kurdish ...