article_snippet: If Iraq regains control of the city, Syria could mean that retaking Mosul -- a city 10 times bigger -- is possible.
article_snippet: But Dempsey also voiced concern over what might happen after ISIS is defeated.
article_snippet: A key question, Dempsey said, is "whether the Iraqi government will remain on a path to provide an inclusive government for all of the groups" in Iraq.
article_snippet: Such attacks could inflame already simmering sectarian tensions within Iraq and make future efforts to retake Mosul and bring peace to Iraq yet more difficult.
article_snippet: In a possible sign of the problems to come, a number of posts on social media appear to show Iraqi soldiers in extremely graphic "selfies" with the heads of alleged ISIS militants, or striking odd poses with bodies behind the heads of alleged ISIS militants.
article_snippet: Anthony Cordesman, a security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said sectarian division was an issue to be "extremely concerned" about as Iraqi forces gain ground in Tikrit.
article_snippet: The top Iraqi Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, The top Iraqi Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said, "very clearly says that Iraqis must act as Iraqis, not divide along sectarian lines.
article_snippet: The challenge will be ensuring that fighters on the ground, some angered by the killings of their relatives by ISIS, do not seek vengeance against Sunni communities whom their suspect of supporting the group.
article_snippet: Iraqi security forces were fighting side by side with Shiite Hashd Al-Shaabi units and local tribesmen, Al-Karhout said.
article_snippet: Clashes continued Thursday between the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or Kurdish YPG, and ISIS fighters in Ras al Ayn, a Syrian strategic border town with Turkey, the Syrian Observatory  said in a statement.
highlights_snippet: Iraqi officials say Iraqi officials are investigating claims of abuses by soldiers after photos emerge .
  