Iraqi Elections Must Consolidate Security Gains of 'Sons of Iraq'

[Ron Humphrey]

I especially wish people would recognize the truth behind this-

Jabouri remains confident that Iraq can flourish as a stable democracy, but he said it would take years to become one. He expressed deep concern over a proposed U.S. troop withdrawal by the close of 2011, calling it too soon.

"Iraq is a big cake right now. Everyone wants the biggest slice, and they are just waiting for that opportunity," he said. "If the guard, the United States, is gone . . . they will take what they want."

Our forces must leave and the sooner the more comfortable for us, unfortunately not necessarily the better for the Iraqi people. We have to be very cautious on how it is done and I for one would love to see several of the leaders in the current govt there quit taking advantage of that fact in order to reinvigerate some of the fence sitting towards their own ends.

Also unfortunate the fact that as Ken likes to say,
Been that way for a while and not likely to change too quickly

He said that his "heart wanted to burst from my chest" when he and his family left Iraq, but he thinks that they'll return eventually.

"The future of Iraq will be good, but it needs time," he said. "We need more education, more election education, and we need to make the right choices."

I guess he would know better than most.

[Jedburgh]

The Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor, 7 Nov 08: Persuading the Uncertain and Punishing the Recalcitrant: Al-Qaeda Seeks to Absorb Iraq’s Awakening Councils

....While Awakening Council forces have played a major role in decreasing al-Qaeda’s activities in Iraq, it is possible that the same forces will play a role in re-activating al-Qaeda unless their demands are considered by the U.S. and Iraqi governments. For this to be achieved, it seems essential to emphasize the importance of an Iraqi secular state based on re-establishing a national identity which has been beset by sectarian violence over the past four years. This is a long term project, which can be launched by integrating Awakening Councils members into the Iraqi state and finding ways to fund this procedure, as it will serve to promote the overall integration of Sunnis, a process essential to the survival of the new Iraqi state.

[tequila]

Iraq's Awakening stripped of their police ranks - Washington Post, 27 Sep 2010:

Hundreds of police officers, formerly members of an American-backed Sunni paramilitary force, will be stripped of their ranks in the Sunni Arab province of Anbar, tribal leaders and Anbar police said Sunday.

The officers called the move by Iraq's Interior Ministry, which oversees police, a threat to security in Anbar, once a stronghold of Sunni insurgent violence.

In 2006, a group called the Awakening, some of them former insurgents, rose up with tribal and U.S. backing to battle al-Qaeda in Iraq. The same strategy was mirrored across the country with American backing and funding, and what became the Sons of Iraq is credited with helping calm Sunni Arab areas ...