During the reign of Saddam Hussein, Shias suffered terribly in Iraq. After the US invasion they were in command. And now they are fighting to hold off the threat of Isis. writes Janine Di Giovanni

AN interim authority could be up and running in Iraq within weeks, senior US officials said yesterday.

American troops moved to capture Baghdad’s Saddam International Airport as the Iraqi capital came under renewed bombing. Coalition forces occupied around 75% of the sprawling site and initial reports said they met little opposition from Iraqi forces.