Residents alarmed as Iraqi soldiers spray Shi'ite graffiti in Mosul
MOSUL- "We answer your call, O Hussein!"
The traditional battle cry of Shi'ite Muslims, expressing loyalty to the 7th century martyred hero of their sect, has been spraypainted across buildings in Mosul by soldiers as they push out the hardline Sunni fighters of Islamic State.
Troops and commanders say the slogan, sometimes sprayed over Islamic State's own graffiti, is meant to be an expression of victory for all Iraqis. But for many residents of the multi-ethnic but predominantly Sunni Muslim city, it is an explicitly sectarian taunt from the country's Shi'ite majority, signalling more violence to come.
"Look at this. The army should be neutral and not painting such things on walls," said Abdullah Shuwaib, a Sunni blacksmith who fled the fighting, pointing to a Shi'ite slogan painted next to a nearby grocery shop. "I'm not optimistic. Iraq won't improve after Daesh is gone."
