The Awakening Continues

Two stories that continue to explain why the Awakening is spreading throughout Iraq:

Kharmah Awakens

The awakening started in Ramadi and has now spread to Hit, Haditha and points west to the West bank of the Euphrates just north of Fallujah and then to the south near Amariyah/Ferris.

The tribes along the west bank are all tied into each other and some of the sub-tribes who have not joined the awakening are finding themselves in armed intra-tribal conflict.

The awakening has now spontaneously leapt the Euphrates and taken hold in an unlikely area--al Kharmah.

The village of Shiabi, located south-west of Kharmah, below the Kharma river is home to more than a dozen IP officers who work in Fallujah.

In November and December of 2006, as the Iraqi Army let the situation deteriorate in Kharma, AQIZ went on blood spree, kidnapping, torturing and beheading police officers.

It was about this time that General Sadoon, a retired Iraqi Air Force general who lived in Fallujah but whose home village is Shiabi and who is also the grandson of the true Sheik of the Jumayli tribe, organized the men of the village.

The Fallujah IPs gave them rifles, walkie talkies and ammunition.

Diyala sheiks meet to address concerns

TIKRIT — About 45 local sheiks met with Diyala provincial leadership in Baqubah, Iraq, to discuss their tribe’s concerns, reconcile grievances and discover solutions to rid terrorism from the province, May 23.

After the key leaders spoke, the sheiks addressed three main concerns – the failure of the central government to focus on the problems of Diyala, the failure of the Provincial Council to effectively represent the people and the common goal of ridding the tribal lands of terrorists and foreign fighters.

Sheik Ahmed Azziz, Sistani’s representative in Diyala, continued to challenge the leaders to settle their differences and work with the legitimate government; while Ra’ad committed to continue meeting with different nahias throughout Diyala in an effort to create reconciliation at the lowest levels where it can be most easily enforced.