Who took Tikrit? …and why does it matter?

Who took Tikrit? Well, that sounds like an easy question, but it’s actually pretty tough. So…let’s make it multiple choice.

Who took Tikrit?

A. U.S.-backed Iraqi government forces

B. “New” Iraqi Shi’ite militia – whatever those are

C. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)

D. All the above

{mosads}Do you know the answer? Does the State Department?

On V-Day, April 1, a little after 7 p.m. local time, Israeli radio (Reshet Bet) reported that Iranian militia had played a major role in the battle. The Western media, however, initially reported that it was Iraqi government forces that had recaptured Tikrit from the Islamic State.

Who was right?

Well, soon, The Wall Street Journal announced that “new Iraqi militias” had taken the lead – “with Iran-backed troops regulated to a smaller role.”

And then on April 2, the day after V-Day, a Washington Post correspondent in Iraq expressed consternation at the fact that among the graffiti newly sprayed across Saddam Hussein’s former presidential compound in Tikrit were the words, “The Sepah of Khomeini defeated Daesh.” What did that mean?

The Sepah of Khomeini is another name for the IRGC and Daesh is the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State. Hence, the IRGC was taking credit for winning back Tikrit.

Now, it’s possible that the Iraqi militias backed by Iran spray painted the graffiti on the compound – that could be true – except that – well, the words were written in Farsi, not Arabic. And it was written alongside familiar Iranian slogans like “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” – again all written in Farsi.

So, were Iranian troops on the ground in Tikrit, or not?

With the help of the Arabic media, we can – thankfully – put some of the puzzle pieces together. The operation to liberate Tikrit began on March 2, but became bogged down within two weeks. In those early days, even The Wall Street Journal acknowledged that Iran had fighters on the ground who were throwing drones and heavy weapons at the predominantly Sunni city. Approximately 30,000 militia had gathered on the outskirts of Tikrit.

Some of these men were indeed Iraqi Shiites, like the Popular Mobilization Forces (advised by 40 Iranian generals), the Badr Organization, and the Imam Ali Brigade. Granted, the Imam Ali Brigade is led by Iraqi terrorists like Jamal Jafar Mohammad Ali regarded as a hero for his alleged involvement in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy. But these militias were indeed Iraqi.

Now, at first, the Iraqi militias hailed Iran for its unconditional support and criticized those – perhaps the Iraqi government – who “kiss the hands of the Americans and get nothing in return.”  However, once their struggle to liberate Tikrit proved unsuccessful, the Iraqi government did persuade the U.S. to intervene on March 25. In protest, the militias pulled out and it was only at the behest of Iraq’s most revered Shi’ite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, that the militia agreed to rejoin the fight. The U.S. launched 36 air strikes, a pretty good return for kissing a hand, and the “Iraqi” forces then streamed into Tikrit to take control.

The Department of Defense was concerned about the influence of Iran – understandably – and had purportedly requested that the Iraqi government take charge of the battle.

Which gets us back to our first question: did the Iraqi government forces take charge, or didn’t they? Is “A The US-backed Iraqi government” the correct answer? Well, the army, air force, and federal police were at the scene, but CNN observers noticed a large number of Iranian commanders who were “highly influential” on the ground in Tikrit. So, “A” alone isn’t looking too good.

Is “B” the right answer?

Did the “new Shi’ite militias” take Tikrit? Well, certainly. But the graffiti – now they probably can’t claim responsibility for that – and that would indicate that “C,” the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp, may also be a correct answer.

Really, to be safe, we should just circle D, All of the above, the U.S.-Iraqi government, the new Shi’ite militias, and the Iranians.

And now we finally get to – why does it matter? And thank goodness, that’s simple. It matters because:

A. Iran and their allies among the Shi’ite militias have become the heroes.

B. The U.S. government made this possible.

C. That overused adage, “Make new friends, but keep the old,” does convey a certain amount of wisdom.

Remember our old friends? The ones who don’t cry “Death to America”? They will be wondering what the heck we’re doing… and whose friend are we, anyway.

They’ll be wondering that…and justifiably so.

Friedman is an American-Israeli writer and editor in the fields of political science, history, and information technology.