‘Sons of Iraq’ role causes some worry

[unhappycamper]

‘Sons of Iraq’ role causes some worry
By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, December 31, 2008

By Thursday, when the security agreement between Iraq and the United States takes effect, about 75 percent of the "Sons of Iraq" groups in the country will be under Iraqi responsibility, U.S. officials said this week.

The transition of the armed groups from U.S. control began last year and has been one of the key worries in cementing the security gains seen in the country in recent months. More than 100,000 "Sons of Iraq" members had been recruited in Iraq over the past two years — some of them former insurgents, most of them young men without jobs.

On Jan. 1, responsibility for the groups falls to the Iraqis in four provinces — Diyala, Babil, Wasit and Qadisiyah. On Feb. 1, all the groups in Anbar province are to follow suit.

The challenge, Iraqi and American officials have acknowledged, is keeping the men from returning to the insurgency.

"We have a common goal: We don’t want the ‘Sons of Iraq’ to turn to al-Qaida. The coalition forces don’t want that. The Iraqi prime minister doesn’t want that. Together, we’ll make this work," Maj. Gen. Michael Ferriter, deputy commander of Multi-National Corps–Iraq, was quoted as saying in a news release about the upcoming transfers.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=59716