Posted on 01/03/2008 8:55:58 PM PST by neverdem
BAGHDAD The leader of Iraqs most influential Shiite party offered surprisingly conciliatory remarks on Thursday about the former insurgents and other Sunnis who have banded together into militias to work with American forces, stating that the groups had helped improve security and should be continued.
In a speech in Najaf, the Shiite holy city, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the party that has long been the backbone of the main Shiite political alliance, said a major reason for recent security improvements was not merely a dependence on official security forces but also a reliance on tribal groups and local councils.
We still believe in continuing this strategy, said Mr. Hakim, the leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq.
In another development on Thursday, two American soldiers were shot dead and a third soldier was wounded in Diyala Province, the American military said. On Wednesday a soldier was killed by an improvised bomb south of Baghdad, the first death of an American soldier this year.
Mr. Hakims remarks on Thursday referred to Sunni groups, known as Awakening Councils, which emerged in 2006 in Sunni-dominated western Iraq, and spread to mixed Sunni-Shiite areas around Baghdad last year.
The American-backed groups, with nearly 80,000 members, are credited with routing Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia and other extremist militants from many areas and helping to sharply reduce American deaths. Many militia members used to attack American troops, before deciding to join forces with them.
While the rise of these groups has been the most promising development for the American military, the partnership has drawn deep skepticism from the Shiite-dominated central government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The Shiites fear the Americans have created an armed parallel force that one day could turn against the official Iraqi security forces, which are dominated...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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