Bringing Sunni and Shia Together, at Least a Little Bit
KUT, Iraq — American commanders in southern Iraq say Shiite sheiks are showing interest in joining forces with the U.S. military against extremists, in much the same way that Sunni clansmen in the western part of the country have worked with American forces against Al Qaeda.
Sheik Majid Tahir al-Magsousi, the leader of the Migasees tribe here in Wasit province, acknowledged tribal leaders have discussed creating a brigade of young men trained by the Americans to bolster local security as well as help patrol the border with Iran.
He also said last week’s assassination of Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha, who spearheaded the Sunni uprising against Al Qaeda in Anbar province, only made the Shiite tribal leaders more resolute.
“The death of Sheik Abu Risha will not thwart us,” he said. “What matters to us is Iraq and its safety.”
This is exactly what I’ve been talking about for months, if not years: the role of the US as bodyguard in Iraq. We are now seeing real results because our troops have demonstrated that we will stay and bleed for Iraq. We have built up a blood debt that Iraqis – Sunni and now Shia – are becoming determined to repay. Iraqis are seeing that we believe in democracy enough to spend lives to build it and that we have no interest in treating Sunni and Shia differently. They’re taking what the determination they’ve seen in us and turning it into tangible political progress in the neighborhoods and cities, where it counts the most. We’ve seen some success. We will see more.
We must not abandon them. If we do, we will see a harvest of blood from our betrayal for decades to come.
(via Jules Crittenden)
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Category: Featured, Fighting the Islamists
Bringing Sunni and Shia together? Not really. When it comes to alliances, there is no commutative property. Just because some Sunni are allied with us and some Shia are allied with us doesn't mean the Sunni and Shia are allied with each other. And these alliances we are forming are with groups that oppose the central government. In our desperation to create positive developments, we are arming nearly every faction in Iraq. This will make for a spectacular civil war when these groups we arming start fighting each other. This doesn't make Iraq a better place, it just makes Iraq more dangerous if we leave. And that is what Bush's real policy is: to keep us in Iraq until their oil runs out.