Another added, “I think ISIS is still in Iraq, the only difference is they threw [down] their weapons and they will pick them back up at any weak point.”
Sensing this fear, Hashd al-Shaabi used it to further solidify its presence in the Nineveh Plains, especially in Christian areas. “Hashd always takes bribes from Christians who have shops, pharmacies, clinics, etc.,” explained a local businessman from Qaraqosh. “Their main excuse for taking the money is that they are protecting our village. At the other side, Hashd facilitates life for the Shabak since they are Shia Muslims. They make the process for Shabak very easy.”
Christian small business owners are not the only ones being targeted. Even those who are attempting the basics of rebuilding their lives in the Nineveh Plains are at risk. Ra’afat decided to move his family back to Qaraqosh following their displacement, but still needed to make regular trips to Erbil in order to find items necessary for his family’s survival.
The trip means passing through several checkpoints controlled by various and sometimes competing paramilitary forces. Some of these checkpoints are controlled by Hashd al-Shaabi, who regularly causes him the most complications. One day, he was returning to Qaraqosh and had electrical equipment in his vehicle. When the militia noticed the equipment, they correctly assumed that Ra’afat had bought these materials through an aid assistance program.
Hashd al-Shaabi then wrongly assumed that this meant Ra’afat had extra funds to spare, and insisted on being paid by Ra’afat if he were to proceed home through the checkpoint. “I got stuck at a Hashd checkpoint for hours,” recalled Ra’afat. “I was begging them to pass, but they didn’t respond. They didn’t have reason to keep me waiting, except to make our lives harder. At the end, they took money to let me in.”
Sadly, Ra’afat’s story is not unique. A lack of stability and extortion by those who allege to provide security have prompted many Christians to again leave the Nineveh Plains. Explained one believer, “There are two types of people right now. Some are looking to go back to Ankawa (in Kurdistan); others are trying to sell their houses in Qaraqosh and Bartella and purchase in Ankawa.”
Christians were not directly impacted by the ferry disaster in Mosul. But they have long been warning about the issues which laid underneath the incident. Hashd al-Shaabi, and other militias, control much of daily life in the Nineveh Plains. Their control may not be readily violent in a direct way which mirrors ISIS, but their activities do have serious consequences for all Iraqis.
As Ra’afat said, “I think we need security beside jobs; pray for us.”
For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org