All Middle East……All day!

I bet you are asking……which one?  The Afghan or the Iraqi surge?  Am I right?

For the sake of this post I am speaking of the Iraqi surge……the one that made Patreus a household name.  The one that was really more about the Sunni tribal members that sided with the US forces in the west and north of the country in the battle against militants……how about now?

The ‘surge’ was a complete success….at least that was story line that the media and the admin wanted to be told…….regardless, we are looking at another incident where the Sunnis are being asked to contribute to the security of the country of Iraq………

As Iraqi forces struggle to retake Anbar from al-Qaeda affiliated militants, the government is turning to the same tactic the US used to end the Iraq war: Allying itself with local Sunni tribal militias. The US is urging Nouri al-Maliki to pass the guns it’s shipping him to the militants, and Maliki is obliging, while promising the militias permanent jobs, pensions, and death benefits for their trouble, the New York Times reports. But the militias say the US made the same promises, only to have Maliki’s government abandon them, and Sunni cooperation in general. They say they’re fighting because they feel obligated to drive al-Qaeda from their cities. “This is our war,” one tribal leader says, “and we don’t want to be accused of working for the government.” Tribesmen also tell the Washington Post that weapons shipments have been sluggish. “If the government was serious about wanting to support the tribes, they could clean up in three days,” said one government official. “All [the tribes] need is fuel, ammunition, and medium-sized weapons.”

Funny how when all starts going to shit the powers that be always turn to the Sunni tribes for help.  But the Sunnis are not a happy group especially with the PM al-Maliki……..

……………we’re supporting the Shiite dictator in Baghdad, Nouri al-Maliki, as he tries desperately to crush a lingering insurgency and al-Qaeda’s creeping hold on portions of southern Iraq. This foolishly ignores the fact that Maliki bears considerable responsibility for Iraq’s continuing descent into chaos. The Sunni-Shia violence in Iraq, as the International Crisis Group (ICG) explained months ago, is “as acute and explosive as ever” primarily because “Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has implemented a divide-and-conquer strategy that has neutered any credible Sunni Arab leadership.” Additionally, many ordinary Sunnis have been radicalized into militants after years of being denied basic rights.

This time the Sunnis will not be ignored after they do their part and as normal are pushed back into obscurity…..the Sunnis will demand more and if not treated properly all progress will be for naught….

Deja vu….all over again!