'Iraqi shiites fighting in Syria'
Iraqi Shiite Muslims are fighting in Syria alongside troops of President Bashar Al Assad, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said in remarks published on Friday, while insisting this was not the policy of the Baghdad government.
Iraqi security forces battled Shiite gunmen south of Baghdad on Friday, raising tensions among rival factions of the country's majority religious community and straining a seven-month cease-fire proclaimed by the biggest Shiite militia.