The Long War Journal, 22 Sep 07: An Interview with the "Lion of Arab Jabour"
While in the Arab Jabour region, The Long War Journal had the opportunity to interview General Mustaffa, the architect of the Concerned Citizens movement. Mustaffa has recruited 537 volunteers, and works closely with the 1st Battalion, 30th Regiment, 2nd Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division to secure the region. His Concerned Citizens turn over weapons caches, find and dismantle IEDs, man checkpoints, provide intelligence for US forces on al Qaeda in Iraq cells, and battle al Qaeda when attacked.

Mustaffa was a captain in Saddam Hussein’s army. He served as an administrative officer in Baghdad, reported Lieutenant Colonel Ken Adgie, the commander of the 1/30. While Arab Jabour is predominantly Sunni, Mustaffa is married to a Shia and has given one of his four sons a Shia name.

Mustaffa has looked beyond the security piece in Arab Jabour and has reached out for assistance from the Iraqi National Team, a nongovernmental organization in Baghdad. The Iraqi National Team provides humanitarian aid in Arab Jabour, where the national and provincial governments have no presence.....