We all know how sectarian violence between Shia and Sunnis was caused by the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq following the US invasion in 2003. Old prejudices became magnified, external influences meddled, and the power vacuum made things much worse.

In a strange move, the presence of US presence is causing at least some Shia and some Sunnis to unite against the USA, ignoring all the sectarian violence in other parts of the country.

American attempts to co-opt Iraqi insurgents in Baghdad have suffered a set back after Sunni and Shia Muslim militants in a key district of the city forged an alliance against United States forces.

In the first half of the year, US commanders teamed up with Sunni fighters loyal to the al-Girtani clan to attack al-Qa'eda cells in the Shorta and Amil areas near the airport. But after intense fighting, in which the extremists were defeated, the al-Girtani tribe reached across Iraq's sectarian divide, in what is believed to be the first partnership of its kind.

"We fought the Shia because of pressure from al-Qa'eda," said Turki al-Girtani, the tribe leader. "Now after they were beaten we have to refocus on the real enemy, which is the US army."

Girtani said his tribe approached the Mahdi army, an extreme Shia group, last month. "We told them that we forced al-Qa'eda to leave and we would be more friendly. We said the US army was watching us fighting, having fun at our expense."

He said the alliance had conducted attacks against the coalition and destroyed dozens of military vehicles. Co-operation between the two groups had resulted in displaced people from both sides recovering their lost homes, he added.
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Naseer Abo Direi, the leader of the Mahdi army in the south-west of Baghdad, said: "Some of my colleagues in other parts of Baghdad are angry about our deal, but I lead this area and I believe it's the moment to start new future."

Read the Telegraph article.