Three Major Iraqi Shiite Militia Groups Have Pulled Out Of The Fight For Tikrit In Protest Of U.S. Air Strikes

New York Times: 3 Shiite Militias Quit Iraqi Siege of ISIS Over U.S. Air Role

AL RASHID AIR BASE, Iraq — Three major Shiite militia groups pulled out of the fight for Tikrit on Thursday, immediately depriving the Iraqi government of thousands of their fighters on the ground even as American warplanes readied for an expected second day of airstrikes against the Islamic State there.

The militia groups, some of which until recently had Iranian advisers with them, pulled out of the Tikrit fight in protest of the American military airstrikes, which began late Wednesday night, insisting that the Americans were not needed to defeat the extremists in Tikrit.

Together the three groups represent as much as a third of the 30,000 fighters on the government side in the offensive against the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS or ISIL, analysts said.

Update: Iraqi militia leader rejects calls for further US air strikes on Tikrit -- The Guardian

WNU Editor: David Ignatius believes that this is a significant shift in Iraq's relationship with Iran .... Stalled Tikrit offensive hurts Iran, helps U.S. (David Ignatius, Washington Post) .... but I have my doubts. This is a temporary shift done out of convenience ..... once Tikrit has fallen I expect everyone in Iraq will claim victory .... the Iranian backed Shiite militias included .... and the march towards Mosul will then begin.