...There is much more.
“We have now taken over an area, and because the first of the Surge units left, it’s twice the size it was before, and I have less than half the people, and it’s still working, so far,” said Collier. “And that is in good measure because of the quality of Iraqi Security Forces. I was here two years ago and I’ve seen a noticeable improvement, and it’s really the hope that this country has, that they’re able to do things on their own. And they are -- they’re doing quite a bit on their own.”
...
“The Iraqi Army battalion 3/4/1 [3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Division] which just transitioned here from Fallujah is one of the most professional battalions I’ve seen,” said Captain John Thornburg, commander of the 3-89’s Bravo Troop, who is responsible for a Joint Security Station (JSS) in southern Rusafa. “They uphold the (operational and uniform) standard on checkpoints, they’re battle-hardened professionals, and are the future of the Iraqi Army that we’d like to see. They’re proud, professional-looking soldiers, and the people see the difference.”But Thornburg attributes most of the improvement in his area in southern Rusafa to the Sons of Iraq (SOI), the local neighborhood watchmen who are paid by the US. The SOI program was started 7 months ago by local leaders and the 82nd Airborne, the unit last responsible for the lower half of Rusafa, which is essentially downtown Baghdad. Local SOI leaders claim they were “the first Shia Awakening” against militias and al Qaeda.
“The SOI have exceeded expectations. They’ve turned one of the most violent areas of Baghdad into one of the most quiet,” said Thornburg. “Specifically, they are looking for Mahdi Army. They know who comes into their area, they man checkpoints 24 hours a day, they do vehicle searches, they question people and they patrol. The locals trust them and they are happy with them. They’ve earned a lot of wasta (respect) from the citizens, and the results speak for themselves. It’s a real success story.”
The Sons of Iraq in the al Sadria area (a collection of neighborhoods in southern Rusafa) are about 250-strong and primarily Shia. But Faris Abdul Hassan, their leader, refuses to hire individuals with sectarian allegiances....
...Above all, Hassan and his neighborhood watchmen do not like the Mahdi Army.
“Originally the Jaish al Mahdi (Mahdi Army) in our area used to deceive people by using the name of the religion to do their purposes,” said Dhia, Hassan’s executive officer. “They were all corrupted. They have history in crime, robberies, murders, rapes and all kinds of bad things. They even reached the level of kidnapping people and demanding ransoms just because they have money. It didn’t matter if he is Shia or Sunni; just because he has money. They gave a bad reputation for Islam.”
...
“Right now because of the fighting Sadr City, people have started to despise [the Mahdi Army] because of the situation they created,” said “Rammie,” an Army interpreter raised and living in Rusafa. “People have started to know the truth of [the Mahdi Army] as kidnappers, killers, car-jackers and agents of the Iranian government. But the recent fighting against the [Iraqi security forces] means they are also against the government. They are not trying to just fight the invasion forces as they claim, but they fight whoever interferes with their mafia activity.”
...
With the Iraqi army and the SOI combined with US forces they are able to get an adequate force to space ratio to protect the people and cut off the Mahdi army's ability to move to contact. That is classic counterinsurgency operations and what they are finding is that the people don't want to be ruled by thugs and are willing to help get rid of them. This is bad news for the Sadr gang and the Iranians.
When the people starting hating the enemy good things happen for our side. We have already seen it with the awakening movement and al Qaeda and now we are seeing a Shia awakening against the Iranians and the Mahdi army.
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