Hardened in battle against Britain and America, the militiamen are widely seen to have more stomach for fighting than Iraq's regular soldiers, many of whom fled the recent onslaught from the Islamic State of Iraq and al Shams (Isis). Already, the government has roped in the help of Mahdi Army forces north of Baghdad, where they are credited with helping to halt the Isis advance. Yet the more the militia is used, the greater the chances of Iraq plunging back into civil war again.