article_snippet: officials in northern Iraq spoke anonymously as officials in northern Iraq are not authorized to brief media.
article_snippet: Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, who has helped coordinate Baghdad's counter-attacks against Islamic State since Baghdad's counter-attacks against Islamic State seized much of northern Iraq in June, was overseeing at least part of the operation, witnesses told Reuters.
article_snippet: His presence on the frontline highlights neighbouring Iran's influence over the Shi'ite fighters who have been key to containing the militants in Iraq.
article_snippet: Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, was directing operations on the eastern flank from a village about 55 km (35 miles) from Tikrit called Albu Rayash, captured from Islamic State two days ago.
article_snippet: With the jihadi who carried out the attack were two Iraqi Shi'ite paramilitary leaders: the leader of the Hashid Shaabi, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, and Hadi al-Amiri who leads the Badr Organisation, a powerful Shi'ite militia.
article_snippet: Iraq is bitterly split between minority Sunnis, who were an important base of support for Saddam Hussein, despite Saddam Hussein regime's nominal secularism, and the Shi'ite majority.
article_snippet: Since the Islamic State insurgency began, the Iraqi military is heavily dependent on Shi'ite militias that have been accused of abusing Sunni communities elsewhere in Iraq. '
article_snippet: The priority we gave to the armed forces and all the forces taking part alongside them is to preserve the security of citizens,' Mr Abadi said last night.
article_snippet: Prepared: Heavily armed Shi'ite milita are seen taking up positions ahead armed Shi'ite milita fight against the Islamic State .