10 Baghdad tribes join US effort against al Qaeda

USA Today:

More than 10 Iraqi tribes in the Baghdad area have reached agreements with U.S. and Iraqi forces for the first time to oppose al-Qaeda, raising the U.S. military's hopes that a trend started in western Iraq is spreading here.

Some of the groups, which have members who fought alongside al-Qaeda in the past, have been providing useful intelligence to U.S. forces about their former allies, according to the U.S. military.

"They know where they live and who they are," said Lt. Col. Rick Welch, a staff officer who works with tribes in the capital area. "They know how they operate." Some tribes are also taking up arms against al-Qaeda allies.

About 100 tribes live in greater Baghdad. Many of these clans are groups of relatives who share the same name and have thousands of members.

U.S. commanders have reached similar deals in Sunni-dominated Anbar province in western Iraq. Attacks there have dropped by 60% in the last year, according to the U.S. military. Tribes in Diyala province north of Baghdad are also negotiating with U.S. forces, which have launched a major offensive in the region.

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U.S. commanders are urging al-Maliki to bring the tribes into the legitimate security forces in order to avoid creating militias outside government control. "The goal is to tap into the movement, but not create a threat," Welch said. "If it continues and the government doesn't thwart it, it will be a huge event."

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The story indicates that the Baghdad tribal leaders are not as influential as the ones in Anbar, but the tribes can be part of the solution to the violence. It is evidence that the counterinsurgency strategy of Gen. Petraeus is making home headway. It is based on the idea of persuading the people to join our side of the war. It has to be bad news for al Qaeda which is operating in a shrinking area. The Diyala push may be where al Qaeda makes its last stand in Iraq as a viable force.