US general says Shia militias fighting IS are 'grave concern'

In Iraq, Islamic State fighters launched a series of suicide bombings to counter a new military drive by the Iraqi military. At least 17 Iraqi soldiers were killed.

The attacks came just hours after pro-government forces began an operation to drive the militants out of the country's western Anbar province, an effort in which they are aided by Shia militias.

Lieutenant General H R McMaster is the director of the US Army Capabilities Integration Center. It's his job to predict the future of warfare, and how to best prepare the US military.

He tells the BBC's Katty Kay that the use of Shia militias in the largely Sunni Anbar province is a matter of "grave concern" for stability in the region.