Revered sniper becomes hero among Iraq’s Shiites

BASRA, Iraq — Ali Jayad al-Salhi, a veteran sniper in an Iraqi militia, was killed in fighting with the Islamic State group last year. He then vaulted into legend, virtually becoming a new saint for the Shiite community.

Posters of al-Salhi adorn storefronts, homes and car windows in his home city of Basra and other Shiite areas. One bakery even sells cakes with his face. Poems praise his valor and piety. His rifle, with which he’s said to have killed nearly 400 militants, is now in a museum in the holiest Shiite city, Karbala.