Clint Watts (CWOT on SWC) asks if the USA is ready to again build-up Sunni (tribal) militias in Iraq and just maybe nearby - in the knowledge that their loyalty is only rented:http://www.fpri.org/geopoliticus/201...-against-isis#
It is not a policy problem just in Iraq:He provides a framework summary:The lack of viable ground options for securing terrorist safe havens is not a challenge unique to Iraq. The U.S. faces a similar challenge against jihadist enclaves enmeshed in ungoverned spaces in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya and the Sahel to name only a few places.The use of irregular forces is very common in Western COIN and relatively recently in colonial wars in Southern Africa - sometimes with a persistent legacy, e.g. Mozambique.Four factors: Establishing favorable conditions for negotiating with militia partners; Offering incentives for participation; Determining the level of control and responsibility for militia actions and Duration of Support
The Iraqi Kurds know all too well that external support can be quickly terminated; those Algerians who served France paid a high price.
I am sure the prospective 'rented' militia manpower in Iraq know very well their options and that Daesh (ISIS) will be ruthless.
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