article_snippet: On Sunday, Iraqi troops and the militias began an offensive to retake Tikrit and the province of Salahuddin from ISIS.
article_snippet: Next to Mosul, Tikrit may be ISIS most important holding in Iraq.
article_snippet: To many observers, former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki set the stage for ISIS rise through former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki increasingly sectarian and anti-Sunni policies.
article_snippet: But now the excesses of some Shia militia in Iraq threaten to alienate the Sunni tribes that Maliki's successor, Haidar al-Abadi, is trying to woo.
article_snippet: In a veiled reference to alleged abuses by Shia militia of Sunni civilians, Prime Minister Abadi ordered all forces taking part in the Tikrit operation to take "utmost care in protecting civilian lives and property.
article_snippet: But former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki needs Tehran's help in reining in the Hashid Shaabi.