Work in Iraq
The groups are paid by the American military and the Iraqi government to lay down their arms against coalition forces, patrol neighborhoods, and to fight against other Sunni insurgents. The US military says the groups help it target Al-Qaeda in Iraq more precisely and avoid collateral damage. The Washington Post writes the awakening groups have caused al-Qaeda in Iraq to soften its tactics in an effort to regain public support.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq has condemned the groups for fighting insurgents and for standing by the “filthy crusaders”. Some members of the awakening groups are former insurgents, and some awakening members have been killed by former awakening members in suicide bombings. Sheiks who work with the awakening movement also frequently face killings which originate from outside the movement.
The Government Accountability Office, the audit arm of the United States Congress, has warned that the groups have still "not reconciled with the Iraqi government" and that the potential remains for further infiltration by insurgents.
Read more about this topic: Sons Of Iraq
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