Increasingly, the U.S. sits down with Iraqi militants

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Increasingly, the U.S. sits down with Iraqi militants
In talks with some groups, the US aims to convince Shiite militias that political reconciliation, not violence, is the way forward.
By Gordon Lubold | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

from the October 23, 2007 edition


Musayib, Iraq - The American flag was barely discernible. But to US Army Lt. Col. Beau Balcavage, the mere depiction of it on a stairway tile in a Shiite mosque here in Babil Province meant that worshippers committed an act of anti-Americanism every time they stepped foot on the faded Stars and Stripes.

The colonel wanted it gone. But getting the flag removed meant negotiating with local leaders aligned with militias – groups that possibly have American blood on their hands. Not long ago, that type of a meeting was unheard of.

But while Colonel Balcavage, commander of the 1st Battalion of the 501st Infantry Regiment, saw that floor tile as an affront to American efforts here that could only worsen US-Iraqi relations, his effort is part of the broader military plan to begin working with Iraq's sectarian militias.

If the US is successful in attempts at convincing militia groups that political reconciliation, and not violence, between Shiites and Sunnis is the way forward, military officials hope those small victories will help foster political progress at higher levels.

Reconciliation between Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds remains one of the biggest challenges in Iraq, and this level of political dialogue has begun to characterize the job facing the American military, say commanders here. Still, these low-level talks come with risks. Officials say it's a question of who is honest and who isn't, even if they don't always know what motivates them to act.

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http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1023/p06s01-wome.html

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