The big sleep

The National ^ | April 24. 2009 | Nir Rosen

[forkinsocket]

The Sunni militiamen of the Awakening movement have outlived their usefulness to American forces and the Iraqi government. Some worry these unemployed fighters will relaunch the insurgency they left behind – but they don't stand a chance. Nir Rosen reports.

On March 28, clashes erupted in Baghdad’s Fadhil district after Iraqi troops arrested the leader of the local Awakening Council, Adil al Mashhadani, one of many former Sunni insurgents who had allied with American forces in the fight against al Qaeda-inspired Salafi militants in Iraq. Mashhadani’s men staged a two-day uprising, which was put down by Iraqis with considerable help from American troops fighting against their former allies.

In Baghdad Mashhadani was a notorious figure, one of many Awakenings men suspected of serious crimes before he went on the American payroll and of continuing them afterwards. I had heard complaints about him since 2007 from Shiites, and especially from supporters of Muqtada al Sadr, who were outraged that a man they accused of the indiscriminate slaughter of Shiite civilians had been empowered by the Americans. An American intelligence officer in Washington told me that the US had possessed incriminating information on Mashhadani for several years – but that he had been one of the first insurgents to see which way the wind was blowing and sign on with the Americans.

[forkinsocket]

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[Gemsbok]

The Big Sleep?
I thought you meant here.

The White-lib militiamen of the Change n’ Hope movement have outlived their usefulness to American forces and the Obama government. Some worry these unemployed fighters will relaunch the insurgency they left behind – but they don’t stand a chance. Der Leeder reports.”

[Bahbah]

Tons of interesting details, fork. Thanks for the post.

[Larry381]

These Iraqi patriots are starting to remind me of the Hmong tribemen who fought for us in Southeast Asia and we know what happened to them.