Iraq's next big test looms this month

by via Daily Star, Lebanon

Tue, Oct 7, 2008 7:29AM

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 : This month will be critical in Iraq, with 100,000 militiamen to be transferred from United States to Iraqi command. Grouped in a loose confederation called the "Awakening Councils" or the "Sons of Iraq," these militiamen have been fighting alongside American forces for two years. The fighters, 80 percent of whom are Sunni Arabs, have been credited with driving Al-Qaeda out of several majority-Sunni areas and bringing stability to large swaths of the country, especially Baghdad and Anbar Province. For Iraq to continue on the road to recovery, it is imperative that the Awakening Councils be fully integrated into the Iraqi state.

The Awakening Councils were born almost exactly two years ago, when local American commanders began to reach out to tribal elders in the Sunni Anbar region, then a hotbed of Al-Qaeda and insurgent activity. The Americans sensed that the Anbar tribes were fed up with Al-Qaeda's nihilism and would welcome the chance to expel the foreign terrorists; however they needed incentives and protection. The US Army promised regular monthly salaries - $300 for fighters, more for tribal leaders - and the full benefits of a military alliance. Recruits would be armed and trained by US forces. Operating under US command, the groups would receive all the military backing needed to rid their areas of Al-Qaeda.

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