Seeker Blog

Another fine from-Iraq dispatch from J.D. Johannes of “Outside the Wire”. J.D. has been embedded in Iraq since early March. Like Michael Yon he provides up to date reportage on critical areas such as Dora and West Rasheed [Baghdad] and Anbar province.

Today’s lengthy dispatch takes a detailed look at the process by which tribes and villages transition from supporting al Qaeda to fighting the terrorists who are striving to wreck Iraq’s democratic government.

…The Sunnis of Anbar are now siding with the coalition and fighting Al Qaeda.

SHIFTING GROUND

A month ago in this post I wrote about how the Anbar Awakening was moving downstream along the west bank of the Euphrates.

In Khalidiyah, the SAA had taken control of security for their own villages under the supervision of the Habbaniyah police and under the watchful eye of the Marines.

The awakening started in Ramadi and has now spread to Hit, Haditha and points west to the West bank of the Euphrates just north of Fallujah and then to the south near Amariyah/Ferris.

The tribes along the west bank are all tied into each other and some of the sub-tribes who have not joined the awakening are finding themselves in armed intra-tribal conflict.

The awakening has now spontaneously leapt the Euphrates and taken hold in an unlikely area–al Kharmah.


COP TOWN

The village of Shiabi, located south-west of Kharmah, below the Kharma river is home to more than a dozen IP officers who work in Fallujah.

In November and December of 2006, as the Iraqi Army let the situation deteriorate in Kharma, AQIZ went on blood spree, kidnapping, torturing and beheading police officers.

It was about this time that General Sadoon, a retired Iraqi Air Force general who lived in Fallujah but whose home village is Shiabi and who is also the grandson of the true Sheik of the Jumayli tribe, organized the men of the village.

The Fallujah IPs gave them rifles, walkie talkies and ammunition.

The General put the men in fighting positions around the village and set up two check points.

Word spread quickly about the village that was standing up to Al Qaeda. Representatives from the Islamic State of Iraq met with the General to try to convince him to change his ways or scare him off.

“I met with them in December,” the General said, his eyes hidden by Ray Ban sunglasses, a duty belt around his waist with radios clipped to it.

Al Qaeda told the police officers of Shihabi and General Sadoon to support Al Qaeda and undermine the IP and the coalition or face the consequences.

The police officers and Sadoon decided to face the consequnces and fortified their village.

“They had no future,” the General said, “All that Al Qaeda has to offer is death. So I told them I will oppose them and from then on, it has been war.”

Thanks to Glenn for the heads up.