Sunni tribes in Anbar want to fight al Qaeda

Times:

SUNNI leaders in al-Anbar province, long a bastion of resistance to the American presence in Iraq, are urging the American military to arm tribes against al-Qaeda, which is viewed as the most powerful force in the area.

They believe that this is now the best way to bring peace to the province that includes the violence-plagued cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

Resentment of al-Qaeda militants among tribes and other insurgent groups has erupted into violence periodically since spring 2005. Over the past year the anger has led to a permanent rift and constant fighting in the western province that borders Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. “There is a struggle between people of al-Anbar province and some of the [militant] organisations working there, but the Americans are not taking seriously the people’s efforts to make peace,” said Ayad al-Samarrai, the No 2 official in the Islamic Party, the largest Iraqi Sunni party.

“When the Americans attack an area, they disarm the locals and keep them weak but the terrorists have already fled. When the Americans leave, the terrorists return and the people do not have any weapons to protect themselves.”

Mr Samarrai said that leaders from al-Anbar had made several proposals to the Americans, including arming the tribes to fight al-Qaeda, providing teams of bodyguards for tribal leaders, clerics and politicians who opposed al-Qaeda and making an intense recruitment push to build an indigenous army and police force.

Mr Samarrai predicted that extremist groups such as al-Qaeda would be defeated in a few months if the Americans acted on any of the al-Anbar proposals. Many leaders in al-Anbar believed that the Americans wanted the chaos to continue and were deliberately helping al-Qaeda, he said.

The Sunni politician described the battle lines in Anbar province as a free-for-all, where Iraqi insurgents and foreign fighters — once united against the Americans — slugged it out.

“What we know is there is now a fight between some tribal leaders and al-Qaeda, and some resistance groups and al-Qaeda, while other groups have decided to side with al-Qaeda,” he said.

In Ramadi last week two al-Qaeda fighters were found in the street shot dead. The killings were claimed by a group calling itself the Anbar Revolutionaries. In turn, al-Qaeda killed a rebel sniper in the city.

A resident of Hit, a Sunni town west of Ramadi, gave a general account of life in the province that matched Mr Samarrai’s. He told The Times that the general population had turned against al-Qaeda but was too weak to drive the militants out.

“Al-Qaeda has assassinated too many people,” said the man, who did not want to be named. “If the resistance received support from the Government they could defeat al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda kills anyone who does not obey them. Most of them are criminal and known bad people.”

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Send this report to Maj. Gen. Zilmer and the folks at the Pentagon who have been circulating the gloomy intelligence report from the region. I recall other reports from the area last year where there was considerable "red on red" action. Are these Sunni tribes saying only they have been disarmed? Why aren't they talking to the Marines in Anbar? It seems apparent to me that the Marines have been looking to forge a bond with the people of this region against al Qaeda. Something seems to be missing from either this story or the one about the gloomy outlook for the area.