The budgetary blow from falling oil prices is being acutely felt in crude revenues-dependent Iraq, which is undermining the government’s efforts to pay for a war against Islamic State extremists. Senior writer for global energy issues Bill Spindle joined the Moneybeat show to discuss his page one story and explain how this funding shortfall means that Iraq’s government is increasingly having to rely on Iran-backed militias in the fight against the extremists. “The problem is that these militias are really very sectarian, they are entirely made up of Shiites, but when they move into areas like they are doing now…those are all Sunni-dominated areas. And as they move into them you get all sorts of tensions that result from all of this and it’s all just being exacerbated by the lack of money now.”