This is going to be trouble. Real trouble. There are three huge issues that I see with this declaration by the Shia-led Iraqi government that the Sunni tribal councils or "awakenings" will be disbanded:
1. This Shia-led Iraq government sat on its bloody hands for 18 months doing NOTHING to disband the Madr Militias and still haven't yet they are so forward thinking now to make this a priority?
2. The Sunni councils have brought stability to ALL of Iraq, not just Sunni areas
3. When will this disbanding happen? If the government disbands too quickly, it could open up the areas for al Qaeda to sneak back in and if they don't do it well, it could turn Sunni tribes back into the insurgents they once were.
This is a tricky proposal and I hope that the Americans in Iraq can broker a fair deal - I'm all for the Iraqis taking control of their destiny but this is a perfect example where a mediator needs to be involved.
Fulll story is here.
1. This Shia-led Iraq government sat on its bloody hands for 18 months doing NOTHING to disband the Madr Militias and still haven't yet they are so forward thinking now to make this a priority?
2. The Sunni councils have brought stability to ALL of Iraq, not just Sunni areas
3. When will this disbanding happen? If the government disbands too quickly, it could open up the areas for al Qaeda to sneak back in and if they don't do it well, it could turn Sunni tribes back into the insurgents they once were.
This is a tricky proposal and I hope that the Americans in Iraq can broker a fair deal - I'm all for the Iraqis taking control of their destiny but this is a perfect example where a mediator needs to be involved.
Fulll story is here.
Iraqi Gov't Pledges to Disband Sunnis
BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq's Shiite-led government declared Saturday that after restive areas are calmed it will disband Sunni groups battling Islamic extremists because it does not want them to become a separate military force.
The statement from Defense Minister Abdul-Qadir al-Obaidi was the government's most explicit declaration yet of its intent to eventually dismantle the groups backed and funded by the United States as a vital tool for reducing violence.
The militias, more than 70,000 strong and often made up of former insurgents, are known as Awakening Councils, or Concerned Local Citizens.
"We completely, absolutely reject the Awakening becoming a third military organization," al-Obaidi said at a news conference.
He added that the groups would also not be allowed to have any infrastructure, such as a headquarters building, that would give them long-term legitimacy.
"We absolutely reject that," al-Obaidi said
We've kicked al-Qaida out and we don't want chaos to take their place," said Sheik Hate Ail, a tribal leader who helped form one of the groups in the western province of Anbar.
He added that the government should not "brazenly exploit the sacrifices of these Iraqi" fighters and "should absorb these people, not reject them and send them away."
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