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U.S. Launches Bid to Wrest Sunni Tribes From Militants
http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-l...hatsNewsSecond
U.S. Launches Bid to Wrest Sunni Tribes From Militants
Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to persuade the major Arab states to pitch in on an Iraq strategy of peeling Sunni tribes and fighters away from their tactical alliance with the radical Islamist militia that has seized large swaths of western Iraq in recent weeks.
A less sectarian tack from Iraqi leader Maliki could be vital in urging Sunnis to part with militants. Prime Minister's Office/European Pressphoto Agency
The initiative comes as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said in a televised address on Wednesday that he wouldn't bend to international appeals to create a less sectarian government to curb the swelling Sunni Muslim insurgency.
Mr. Kerry said Wednesday in Brussels that despite Mr. Maliki's defiant-sounding speech, the Iraqi prime minister appeared committed to begin the formation of a new government in Baghdad early next week, as Mr. Kerry said he had agreed to do in talks on Monday in Baghdad.
"In the prime minister's remarks today, he did follow through on the commitments he made in our discussions," Mr. Kerry said at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters.
The Obama administration's new initiative, described by senior U.S. and Arab officials, is an attempt to broaden its approach beyond influencing the Baghdad government. It mirrors a key element of the "troop surge" strategy begun under President George W. Bush in 2007, which sent cash, advisers and weapons to Sunni fighters who allied with U.S. troops against extremists.
The so-called Sons of Iraq program—closely linked to the Iraqi "Sahwa" or Awakening movement—offered a successful, grass-roots approach to winning hearts and minds while also nearly eradicating al Qaeda from Sunni-majority provinces.
The program waned under Mr. Maliki as U.S. troops began departing Iraq in 2009. But under the onslaught of Sunni insurgents, officials are making a new bid to reconstitute parts of it.
The U.S. isn't talking about providing arms to these tribes and fighters. But Mr. Kerry and other senior U.S. officials want their Arab allies to appeal to Sunni groups who are fighting alongside the extremists but who aren't seen as long-term military allies of the al Qaeda-linked force, which is seeking to enforce Islamic law.
Known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, the extremist group is the organizational successor of the Sunni militants known as al Qaeda in Iraq, or AQI, targeted in the earlier U.S. campaign to win over less radical Sunnis.
U.S. officials now working in Iraq said they have received reports from Sunni leaders of fighting between their groups and ISIS, and of executions carried out by the Islamist militants in western Iraq.
"We're hearing from Sunni leaders across the board that they really want to do something about [ISIS]. They're figuring out how to do it," said a senior U.S. official who has been in contact with Sunnis in western Iraq.
"A lot of them keep saying: 'We'll be stronger if there is a new prime minister,' " he added. "Our answer to that is, 'Look, you've got to pursue this in parallel. Political change comes through the government formation process, but it is not really responsible to let [ISIS] take over half the country, because once they do that you're not going to be able to fight back.'"
President Obama has several options when it comes to Iraq. However, public opinion and weariness of war among Americans limits his possible moves. Jerry Seib dives into a new poll on U.S. attitudes toward Iraq.
Mr. Kerry will meet Thursday in Paris with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan in a mini-summit that will be almost solely focused on confronting the ISIS threat in Iraq and Syria, according to U.S. officials.
The top American diplomat then will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet King Abdullah.
U.S. officials said they are seeking to work with the Sunni-dominated Arab states to help shore up their contacts with moderate Sunni leaders in western Iraq. American officials describe the Iraqi Sunnis as a mix of tribal chiefs, former Iraqi army officials, and Baath Party leaders.
Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. are seen as having significant political and religious influence over these Iraqi leaders, as well as the financial resources to try to help woo them away from ISIS.
U.S. officials said that winning support from Iraq's Sunnis and the Arab states for reconciliation with Baghdad will require delicate negotiations that will involve Iraq's Shiite and Kurdish leaders, and potentially Iran.
Arab governments and most of Iraq's Sunni leaders are demanding that Prime Minister Maliki resign before they re-engage with Baghdad.
"We're ready to help in Iraq as soon as we see the Maliki exit ramp," said a senior Arab official involved in the Paris meetings.
Mr. Kerry and senior U.S. officials feverishly worked in Baghdad this week to find a political formula for leadership more acceptable to the minority Sunni and Kurdish leaders.
But it is unclear, especially after Mr. Maliki's speech, if he has any intention of leaving office, U.S. officials acknowledged. They maintained that the prime minister is committed to moving toward a new government next week, but recognized that he is dealing with a complex political drama in Baghdad.
Sheik Awad Said, a leader in the western town of Haditha that is currently under siege by ISIS fighters, said he would consider signing up to a Sahwa-like effort if it were entirely underwritten and run by Americans.
As far as trusting the Iraqi government is concerned, Sheikh Said said he had been burned far too many times.
"If the Americans have a role, then this will encourage me and other tribal leaders to fight the terrorists," said Sheik Said. "Otherwise, we don't trust the Iraqi government."
But U.S. military officials are divided over the utility of peeling moderate Sunni forces from the ISIS-led rebellion. Some officials believe the outreach must appeal to the rebellion as a whole, a defense official said.
U.S. surveys late last years in western Iraq led some military officials to believe that that Sunni-dominated areas will accept a Shiite-led government in Baghdad as long as Mr. Maliki steps down and is not replaced with another Shiite leader seen as close ties to Iran, the defense official said.
Some U.S. officials also believe that some Sunni groups may be satisfied if Mr. Maliki backs sweeping changes, but most officials believe that the rebellion will draw widespread Sunni favor as long as Mr. Maliki remains at the head of the government.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/u-s-l...hatsNewsSecond
U.S. Launches Bid to Wrest Sunni Tribes From Militants
Secretary of State John Kerry is trying to persuade the major Arab states to pitch in on an Iraq strategy of peeling Sunni tribes and fighters away from their tactical alliance with the radical Islamist militia that has seized large swaths of western Iraq in recent weeks.
A less sectarian tack from Iraqi leader Maliki could be vital in urging Sunnis to part with militants. Prime Minister's Office/European Pressphoto Agency
The initiative comes as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said in a televised address on Wednesday that he wouldn't bend to international appeals to create a less sectarian government to curb the swelling Sunni Muslim insurgency.
Mr. Kerry said Wednesday in Brussels that despite Mr. Maliki's defiant-sounding speech, the Iraqi prime minister appeared committed to begin the formation of a new government in Baghdad early next week, as Mr. Kerry said he had agreed to do in talks on Monday in Baghdad.
"In the prime minister's remarks today, he did follow through on the commitments he made in our discussions," Mr. Kerry said at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters.
The Obama administration's new initiative, described by senior U.S. and Arab officials, is an attempt to broaden its approach beyond influencing the Baghdad government. It mirrors a key element of the "troop surge" strategy begun under President George W. Bush in 2007, which sent cash, advisers and weapons to Sunni fighters who allied with U.S. troops against extremists.
The so-called Sons of Iraq program—closely linked to the Iraqi "Sahwa" or Awakening movement—offered a successful, grass-roots approach to winning hearts and minds while also nearly eradicating al Qaeda from Sunni-majority provinces.
The program waned under Mr. Maliki as U.S. troops began departing Iraq in 2009. But under the onslaught of Sunni insurgents, officials are making a new bid to reconstitute parts of it.
The U.S. isn't talking about providing arms to these tribes and fighters. But Mr. Kerry and other senior U.S. officials want their Arab allies to appeal to Sunni groups who are fighting alongside the extremists but who aren't seen as long-term military allies of the al Qaeda-linked force, which is seeking to enforce Islamic law.
Known as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, the extremist group is the organizational successor of the Sunni militants known as al Qaeda in Iraq, or AQI, targeted in the earlier U.S. campaign to win over less radical Sunnis.
U.S. officials now working in Iraq said they have received reports from Sunni leaders of fighting between their groups and ISIS, and of executions carried out by the Islamist militants in western Iraq.
"We're hearing from Sunni leaders across the board that they really want to do something about [ISIS]. They're figuring out how to do it," said a senior U.S. official who has been in contact with Sunnis in western Iraq.
"A lot of them keep saying: 'We'll be stronger if there is a new prime minister,' " he added. "Our answer to that is, 'Look, you've got to pursue this in parallel. Political change comes through the government formation process, but it is not really responsible to let [ISIS] take over half the country, because once they do that you're not going to be able to fight back.'"
President Obama has several options when it comes to Iraq. However, public opinion and weariness of war among Americans limits his possible moves. Jerry Seib dives into a new poll on U.S. attitudes toward Iraq.
Mr. Kerry will meet Thursday in Paris with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan in a mini-summit that will be almost solely focused on confronting the ISIS threat in Iraq and Syria, according to U.S. officials.
The top American diplomat then will travel to Saudi Arabia on Friday to meet King Abdullah.
U.S. officials said they are seeking to work with the Sunni-dominated Arab states to help shore up their contacts with moderate Sunni leaders in western Iraq. American officials describe the Iraqi Sunnis as a mix of tribal chiefs, former Iraqi army officials, and Baath Party leaders.
Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. are seen as having significant political and religious influence over these Iraqi leaders, as well as the financial resources to try to help woo them away from ISIS.
U.S. officials said that winning support from Iraq's Sunnis and the Arab states for reconciliation with Baghdad will require delicate negotiations that will involve Iraq's Shiite and Kurdish leaders, and potentially Iran.
Arab governments and most of Iraq's Sunni leaders are demanding that Prime Minister Maliki resign before they re-engage with Baghdad.
"We're ready to help in Iraq as soon as we see the Maliki exit ramp," said a senior Arab official involved in the Paris meetings.
Mr. Kerry and senior U.S. officials feverishly worked in Baghdad this week to find a political formula for leadership more acceptable to the minority Sunni and Kurdish leaders.
But it is unclear, especially after Mr. Maliki's speech, if he has any intention of leaving office, U.S. officials acknowledged. They maintained that the prime minister is committed to moving toward a new government next week, but recognized that he is dealing with a complex political drama in Baghdad.
Sheik Awad Said, a leader in the western town of Haditha that is currently under siege by ISIS fighters, said he would consider signing up to a Sahwa-like effort if it were entirely underwritten and run by Americans.
As far as trusting the Iraqi government is concerned, Sheikh Said said he had been burned far too many times.
"If the Americans have a role, then this will encourage me and other tribal leaders to fight the terrorists," said Sheik Said. "Otherwise, we don't trust the Iraqi government."
But U.S. military officials are divided over the utility of peeling moderate Sunni forces from the ISIS-led rebellion. Some officials believe the outreach must appeal to the rebellion as a whole, a defense official said.
U.S. surveys late last years in western Iraq led some military officials to believe that that Sunni-dominated areas will accept a Shiite-led government in Baghdad as long as Mr. Maliki steps down and is not replaced with another Shiite leader seen as close ties to Iran, the defense official said.
Some U.S. officials also believe that some Sunni groups may be satisfied if Mr. Maliki backs sweeping changes, but most officials believe that the rebellion will draw widespread Sunni favor as long as Mr. Maliki remains at the head of the government.
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