1,000 new Sunni militia to help on security
(9 May 2015) Iraqi authorities on Friday signed up the first batch of 1,000 recruits for a new Sunni militia to help its security forces take back the western Anbar province from Islamic State extremists. The recruitment drive comes after years of reluctance to arm and train tribal fighters. Friday's recruits are all from the Albu Eissa tribe based in the town of Amiriyat al-Fallujah, which for the past year has been battling Islamic State forces in their stronghold of Fallujah, just 30 kilometres (18 miles) to the north. Iraqi army commander Abdul-Rahman Hamad said the operational aim of the recruits will be to defeat Islamic State militants. Anbar's Sunni tribes were key to defeating al-Qaida in 2006 but afterwards, the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki cut funding to these Sunni forces. Repeated requests by tribal leaders for funds and arms were ignored, in part because the government distrusted the Sunnis, claiming many sympathised with the Islamic State. Many were later targeted and killed when extremists swept into the province. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
