In Iraq's Desert, Sunni Tribes Battle Qaeda for Control

[ECH1969]

RAMADI, Iraq (Reuters) -- Sheikh al-Buzayi summoned other tribal chiefs last week for a war council at his fortified home in Ramadi, the teeming, scarred capital of Iraq's Anbar province.

There was a bountiful feast of beef and rice, and a vow of unrelenting battle against the common enemy -- al-Qaeda. "We have to form police and army forces from among our sons to fight these al-Qaeda militants," Buzayi, who says the militants murdered his father and his brother, told Reuters. "We have now entered a real battle. It's either us or them."

A young man who calls himself Abu Farouq, a senior al-Qaeda figure in northern Ramadi, said his fighters want an Islamic caliphate in Anbar. Sheikhs like Buzayi are their enemy. "We have the right to kill all infidels, like the police and army and all those who support them," he told Reuters. We are proud to kill tribal leaders who are helping the Americans."

Anbar residents say the towns of Khalidiya and Haditha are effectively controlled by al-Qaeda, who run Islamic courts, force women to wear an Afghan-style burqa and regularly dump bodies of those they call "traitors" and "spies" on the streets. "We are suffering but we can't complain," another Ramadi resident said. "Al-Qaeda has demolished our city. Bodies are everywhere. What kind of a life is this?"

http://www.aina.org/news/20060917151132.htm

[Ignacio Upton]

1. To be honest, the tribal leaders could do a better job of flushing out

the insurgency than we could, because they have the credibility to do so in Anbar. Phasing out our contigent, while providing them with support is how we can stamp out the insurgents.

[Kagemusha]

2. And sadly they'd completely abuse any such victory.

All I can say good about them is that they're not quite as bad as the insurgents because they have more use for personal money and are less motivated by nationalism or religion. More like Americans.

At this point I don't think any support the US is willing to provide to them is going to do a darn thing, either.

[xchrom]

3. to sunni tribes people -- al qaeda is an outsider.

the sunni's are used to running their own affairs and they aren't going to relinquish that to us or to them.

or to shiite led ''federal'' government.

[Ignacio Upton]

4. We should split off Anbar and give it to Jordan

WHen Iraq and Jordan were created they were both ruled by Heshemite Kings. Giving Anbar to the Jordanians could solve part of the sectarian problem.

[Kagemusha]

5. Oh that'll help.

...You don't appreciate what kind of hell that would create. And few people do, which is why I expect to see more of this idea.

This would mean that US and "Iraqi" forces no longer make any attempt to control the situation. Solve the sectarian problem? It'd make Jordan the next central front in the War on Terror.

[ellisonz]

6. Yes, because King Abdullah oh so badly wants Anbar province...

not. No one but us, the Sunni's and "Al-Qaida" want this ground.

[ECH1969]

9. Jordan wants Anbar

as much as most people want lung cancer

[xchrom]

7. why not let the sunni's rule themselves?

my ideal would be t let the kurds rule themselves as well as the shiites and sunnis.

it's past time to try and cobble a unity where there is none.

[jpak]

8. Thank you Bush, Cheney, Rice, Powell and the CIA for all this

"What kind of a life is this?" indeed...

[RangerSmith]

10. Who was it that

recently said that now that we started this shit the number of deaths in Iraq over the next 10 yrs will be the same whether we are there or not? It's really looking like that could very well play out.