Sun Setting On Sons of Iraq

Friends,

  The incorporation of the Sons of Iraq (mostly ex Sunni militants who are paid by the U.S.) into the national police or army is destined to be bloody. The Shia do not want to share power with the Sunni. Period.

  Bring our troops home.

Peace, Love and Hope,

Rev O

For U.S. and Sunni Allies, a Turning Point:  Sons of Iraq Despair At Imminent Takeover By Shiite Government  

For U.S. and Sunni Allies, a Turning Point

Sons of Iraq Despair At Imminent Takeover By Shiite Government

Washington Post

BAGHDAD -- First Lt. Justin John, 6-foot-4 and built like a linebacker, plopped down on a sofa in front of Ibrahim Suleiman al-Zoubaidi, one of the leaders of the mainly Sunni armed groups that have helped the U.S. military quell violence in Iraq since last year.

Zoubaidi, a small man armed with a revolver, had one thing on his mind: This week officials of Iraq's Shiite-led government will assume authority over the groups, which have been backed by the United States.

"They will kill us," Zoubaidi declared. "One by one."

Across Baghdad, leaders of the groups speak about the transition in similarly apocalyptic terms. Some have left Baghdad, saying they fear that the Iraqi government will conduct mass arrests after the handover. Others are obtaining passports and say they will flee to Syria.

The big issue that concerns us is what happens if the government drops the ball and stops paying these guys," said Capt. Parsana Deoki, 32, of New York. "You'd have up to 400 SOI without jobs, without an income. That presents a problem. They have military training and access to weapons -- unemployed, with weapons, young men with an established chain of command. You can fill in the blanks."

Getting Iraqi army and police units to work with Sons of Iraq groups was initially impossible and remains difficult, U.S. military officials say. The Iraqi government has pledged to hire at least 20 percent of the guards as soldiers or policemen and has agreed to keep the rest on the payroll until they find other jobs.

But Sons of Iraq leaders say their relationships with police commanders have been forged under heavy U.S. pressure and remain beset by mutual distrust.

"I feel sorry to say this," said Zaied Subhi, a Sons of Iraq leader. "There is no trust between us."

First Lt. Greg Garhart, 26, who supervises more than 400 Sons of Iraq in the Dora area, said the guards who work under him have all but lost hope. None has been admitted into the National Police.

"They kind of see the SOI as a dying organization" he said. "I've had a few quit recently. I don't know if they lost their faith or are afraid of the NP."

Of more than 54,000 Sons of Iraq guards in the Baghdad area, roughly 3,400 have secured jobs in the Iraqi security forces, according to the U.S. military. Despite their misgivings, the vast majority have registered to continue getting paid by the Iraqi government.