Sons of Iraq | |
---|---|
Leaders |
|
Dates of operation | 2005–2013 |
Group(s) | |
Active regions | Iraq |
Size | |
Allies | |
Opponents | Al-Qaeda in Iraq |
Battles and wars |
The Sons of Iraq (Arabic: أبناء العراق Abnāʼ al-ʻIrāq), also known as al-Sahwah (Arabic: الصحوة, lit. 'the awakening'), were a coalition in the Al Anbar province in Iraq between Sunni tribal leaders as well as former Saddam-era Iraqi military officers that united in 2005 to maintain stability in their communities. A moderate group, they were initially sponsored by General Petraeus and the US military.
After arriving into power, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki relied on sectarian policies to consolidate his power. Maliki denounced the Sons of Iraq as a national threat, actively dismantling them and refusing to integrate them into Iraqi security services. Sunnis formerly serving with the group were faced with options including becoming unemployed or joining the Islamic State.[4] This turn of event is considered a key factor that contributed to the failure for Iraq to stabilize that ultimately led to the War in Iraq (2013-17).[5]
Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights
was invoked but never defined (see the help page).