Basra Awakening--Iraqi tribes turning on Iran, militia

Washington Times:

Tribal leaders in southern Iraq are starting to push back against Iranian-supported militias in Basra, cracking their hold over the economically crucial province, Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker said yesterday at two separate roundtable interviews with reporters.

The militia led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr "is something that has to be dealt with," said Gen. Petraeus at a meeting with reporters at the Pentagon.

"The population has turned against the militia in most areas in Basra. Interestingly, it has turned against them in a number of areas in Baghdad as well," the top U.S. commander in Iraq said, though he cautioned that turning against the militias does not necessarily mean that the population "will act on it."

Mr. Crocker said he had returned from a recent visit "sobered by the extent ... the militias had free rein in Basra."

The U.S. envoy added that he got "an earful" of complaints from southern sheiks about the behavior of the militias, who are believed to be influenced and supplied by Iran.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki "tapped into this" frustration and the Iraqis now are "standing up tribal lines as contract security forces" to help battle the Shi'ite militias, Mr. Crocker said, although he did not say whether these tribal forces had participated in the battles in Basra in the last two weeks.

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This is very encouraging news. It turns out the Iraqi tribes don't like Shia religious bullies any more than they liked Sunni al Qaeda religious bullies. The key to ruling Iraq is getting the tribes on your side. It appears that the Iraqi government is turning the corner in that regard.

The Basra operation united the country more than any other recent event. Iran is now fighting a rear guard action in Sadr city, but politically they are in retreat right now. Like al Qaeda, their best remaining hope is that the Democrats will bail them out.

The Washington Post is reporting on the administrations new focus on Iran now that al Qaeda has been largely defeated. Since that country is still the leading state sponsor of terrorism, the focus is appropriate and if its strategy can be defeated in Iraq, the Iraq war will become a twofer in the war against terror.