Iraq set to control ‘Sons of Iraq’ by April

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Iraq set to control ‘Sons of Iraq’ by April
By Ashley Rowland, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Monday, January 19, 2009

BAGHDAD — The United States will transfer control of the "Sons of Iraq" to the Iraqi government by April, officials from both countries said Sunday.

The transfer appears to be going faster than expected. Initially officials said it was to be completed across the country by June, a critical time for the country. Under a security pact approved recently, U.S. troops would withdraw from cities and towns and work out of bases by June 30.

The Iraqi government began paying the salaries of 51,000 members in Baghdad three months ago. An additional 20,000 members of the armed civilian groups, which began forming in 2006 to fight al-Qaida and other insurgents, will be shifted from the U.S. to Iraqi government’s payroll by February, said Maj. Gen. Michael Ferriter, deputy commanding general for operations for Multi-National Corps-Iraq.

"The signs are that this is going in the right direction," he said during a news conference.

Twenty percent of the "Sons of Iraq," who have been credited for helping to calm violence in the country, will enter the Iraqi security forces, mostly to become police officers, Ferriter said. The rest will be offered civil jobs, with many receiving vocational training, he said.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60103