Iraq moves to absorb Sunni militia that helped U.S. defeat Al Qaida
Friday, May 1, 2009 E-Mail this story Free Headline Alerts
BAGHDAD Ñ Iraq has allocated $350 million to integrate the Sunni-dominated auxiliary force into the military and government.
Officials said the government of Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has approved $350 million to transfer nearly 100,000 members of Al Sahwa to either the security forces or government despite concerns of infiltration by Al Qaida and Saddam Hussein loyalists.
They said the money would facilitate training as well as employment opportunities for members of a force meant to be disbanded in 2009.
"The government is determined to pay the salaries of all the Sahwas at the appointed times," Iraqi government spokesman Ali Dabbagh said. "It has been decided to transfer 80 percent of the Sahwas to civilian jobs in the ministries and Iraqi national institutions while transferring 20 percent to the security services."
The allocation was announced as Al Sahwa, also known as Sons of Iraq, asserted that officers have not been paid in at least three months. In October 2008, the Baghdad government assumed responsibility for Al Sahwa from the U.S. military.
Al Sahwa was founded in 2006 as a Sunni force meant to track and defeat Al Qaida. With massive recruitment from Sunni tribes, Al Sahwa decimated the Al Qaida presence in Anbar, the largest province in Iraq.
"It was a movement that allowed us to chase Al Qaida out of Anbar province, so it was supported by the government and the Iraqi people," Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi said. "Without Sahwa, it would have been very hard to get rid of Al Qaida."
Officials said Interior Ministry has decided to reduce the ratio of Sahwa members recruited into the security forces. They said the ministry, pressed by the U.S. military had originally agreed to accept more than 30 percent of Sunni auxiliary officers into the military and police.
But the ministry has determined that a significant portion of Sahwa was influenced by Al Qaida and elements of the former Saddam Hussein regime. Officials said thousands of Sahwa members were believed to have been Saddam agents who joined the U.S.-led effort against Al Qaida in exchange for salaries and weapons.
"We agreed to integrate tens of thousands of Sahwa members in the armed forces, but certain groups took up the Sahwa banner, in Baghdad and elsewhere, even some terrorist groups," Abdul Mahdi told a briefing. "Sometimes we can't distinguish between the two Ñ the original Sahwa and the false Sahwa. The bogus Sahwa is comprised of those groups that have been waiting for the right moment to strike."
Officials said rogue elements within Al Sahwa were believed to have facilitated suicide bombings in Baghdad and Mosul. Over the last month, scores of Sahwa officers have been arrested on charges of being linked to Al Qaida.
"That's why there have been arrests when we discovered their links to other terrorist groups," Abdul Mahdi said. "But the original Sahwa is a true movement that allowed us to restore order in the country."