Iraq ‘shrine factions’ look to peel away from Hashed By AFP - Dec 12,2020 - Last updated at Dec 12,2020 In this file photo taken on June 14 mask-clad members of the Hashed Al Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) paramilitary force take part in a military parade in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, marking the sixth anniversary of its founding after Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani called to defend the country from the Daesh (AFP photo) NAJAF, Iraq — Around the corner from Iraq’s holiest shrines, a years-long struggle over allegiances and resources is coming to a head — threatening a dangerous schism within a powerful state-sponsored security force.